Beyond Belief
by Light86
Summary: finding an attractive young woman hiding in your closet is one thing, being the only one who can see or hear her, downright crazy. with a love that transcends understanding, will it be enough to save each other and defy the impossible.ichiruki,AU COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH

**Story**: Beyond Belief  
**Pairings**: Ichigo x Rukia  
**Rating**: T  
**Time**: AU  
**Summary**: lying in the bath in his new apartment, Ichigo, a young writer is surprised when he hears fingers clicking to the sound of music from his radio. Following the noise to his closet, he finds an attractive young woman hiding and assuming she is part of a practical joke, asks her to leave.  
But Rukia, stunned to discover that Ichigo can see her reveals the extraordinary truth, six months earlier she was in a car crash, her body now lies in a coma. At first skeptical, Rukia manages to prove to Ichigo that what she said is true. But when the doctors decide to turn off the machines keeping Rukia alive, Ichigo must find away to save her. For it is only her love that can save him…  
**Notes**: All credit for this story goes to Marc Levy as it is based on his book "If Only it Were True" and the movie Just Like Heaven, starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo was also based on his book, so if this story starts to seem familiar, that would be why :)

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Chapter 1

The buzzing sound of her alarm at five thirty in the morning roused her from a dreamless sleep, burrowing further into her comforter, not wanting to leave the warmth of the bed, Rukia reached out a timid hand to punch the off button on the clock. The sound of whining caught her attention and she poked her head out to look down at her dog Kon sit up and look at her eagerly, wagging his tail impatiently "okay okay im up, im up" she sighed as she slowly dragged herself out of bed and walked over to draw the curtains open on her bedroom window, a pleased smile spreading slowly across her face as she looked upon a beautiful Karakura sunrise.

It had been a short nights rest for her, she was a resident at Karakura General and a five car pile up had kept her at the hospital long after her shift had already ended, after assessing the incoming injured in the ER and assisting her supervisor Dr Ishida with two surgery's, she finally made her way home at around two in the morning.

Rukia made her way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for both herself and Kon, she had the next two days off from the hospital and although she loved her job, she was ecstatic and as much as she wished to sleep in she wanted to take full advantage of this time and head up the coast to relax and unwind at a beach house owned by a friend.

She filled Kon's bowl with the standard tux dog biscuits and made herself a large breakfast consisting of an English muffin, an omelet, toast and some herbal tea to wash it all down with, as she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning and she had a long drive ahead of her.

She placed her dirty dishes in the sink and opened a sliding door in her lounge that led out to a balcony that gave a breathtaking view of the small town she lived in. her apartment was situated on an incline of a hill that was high enough that you could look out over the park she usually walked Kon and see the tops of the swaying trees that bordered it. It was one of the main reasons she had bought the place and she loved it dearly. She decorated it with a few paintings she had bought at the local galleries and simple but elegant furniture that gave her home a homely feel. Her brother had been pessimistic at first but silently approved of her independence and was even proud of her.

She made her way to the bathroom to shower, stopping quickly to turn on some music, she removed her pajamas before stepping under the shower head. After she was done she opened her closet eyeing the contents of her wardrobe, choosing a simple lavender blouse and some comfortable jeans that hugged her bottom before giving herself the once over in her full length mirror, she changed her mind and swapped the jeans for a knee length white skirt, changed her mind again and went with the jeans. She grabbed her overnight bag and made her way to the kitchen to write a small note for her brother

_Byakuya_

_Thanks so much for taking Kon, I'll be back Sunday evening so I'll pick him up about six  
__Do not send your maid to clean up I'll do it when I get back _

_Heaps of luv _

_Rukia xox_

She put the note on the fridge and used one of the magnets to hold it up, as she knew her brother would look through it to make sure she was eating well.

She turned and bent down to pat and hug her dog as he licked her face happily "don't worry, I'll be back before you know it" she promised as she lightly kissed his nose and grabbed her keys of the counter and made her way out the front door, locking it as she went. She pushed the button for the automated garage door that hung on her keychain and waited patiently as it allowed her access to her aging convertible.

Getting in she took a deep breath and patted the dashboard "alright listen up old gal, if you cough just one time, I'll drown your engine in maple syrup and send you to the junkyard then I'll replace you with a snazzy new model that's fully loaded and wont throw a fit if its too cold in the morning, ya hear. Good then lets go" her gleeful laughter echoed through the garage as the car roared to life at the turn of the key.

She eased the old car out of the drive and down the road, she turned left onto main street and heard an odd rattling sound, probably the transmission. She ignored it as she turned on the radio and smiled broadly as the wind blew through her hair, it was all smooth sailing up ahead , the lights were all green and the usually bustling town was quiet this early morning as Rukia drove past darkened department store windows, a few homeless people still sleeping on benches, a parking attendant dozing in his booth at the entrance to the underground parking lot, she felt exhilarated as she shifted the gear down to second as she neared the turn on union street in front of Hello Kitty's huge display window.

Taking the corner perfectly the squeal of tires, then a strange noise followed by a series of clicks, everything was moving fast, the clicking became a blur of metallic sounds, a sudden bang and time stopped as all communication between the steering and the wheels ceased. The car swerved sideways and skidded along the surface, Rukia's hands gripped the steering wheel but it offered no resistance as it span in a limbo of its own.

The car continued to skid as everything moved in slow motion for Rukia as she felt her head spin although in reality it was the scene around her spinning at an alarming speed. The car turned like a top on the slick asphalt until the wheels slammed into the curb, the front end skidded into the air and was stopped only by a fire hydrant catching on the under carriage. The hood lunged toward the sky, in one last effort the car rotated on its axis and ejected its driver, by now much to heavy for the gravity-defying pirouette. Rukia's body was hurled into the air, falling back down to crash through Hello Kitty's display window, glass exploding everywhere.

Rukia lay blanketed in glass, the old car having choked its last breath lay on its back, half on the sidewalk, a plume of steam rising from its entrails. Rukia lay still, peaceful, at rest. Her features were calm, her breathing slow and even, there might've even been a small smile on her slightly parted lips. Her eyes were closed as she appeared to be sleeping, her sleek, midnight black locks framed her face as her right hand lay across her midriff.

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AN: hey there well hope you enjoy. i'll keep updating as quick as i can, but i really want to make this a great story and give it justice, so it may take some time, characters may seem OOC but i'll try not to steer to far away from the path hehehe. well read and review and let me know what you think. and if you've read this book before let me know coz i absolutely loved it :  
)

and just a little note on byakuya's note written by rukia, i thought it would be major cute if they had a really good close relationship in this, as he is her only family


	2. Chapter 2

standard disclaimer applies

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Chapter 2

The parking lot attendant in his both blinked hard, he had roused from his light nap at the sound of screeching tires and had witnessed the entire thing "just like in the movies, only real" he would later recount. He threw the door open in his haste to check on the woman only to stop and dash back to the booth to call an ambulance

Within ten minutes the Karakura General hospitals EMS arrived. Two policemen were already on the scene. Dr. Tatsuki Arisawa, the resident on duty ran over to Rukia's body lying on the sidewalk and yelled for her partner to come quickly. Using scissors she cut through the jeans and blouse "lets get an EKG and start an IV. I've got a thready pulse and no pressure, respiration forty-eight and cut on head. Looks like a closed fracture of the left femur with internal hemorrhage. Get me two units" Arisawa's partner, Renji, the EMS paramedic pasted electrodes on the young woman's chest, connecting each one with a different-colored wire to the portable electrocardiograph. He switched it on and the machine instantly leapt to life

"what's it show" asked Tatsuki

"nothing good; she's going. Pressure, eighty over sixty; pulse, a hundred and forty; lips are blue"

"give me a number seven end tracheal tube, I need to intubate"

The paramedic finished placing the IV catheter in Rukia's arm and handed the bag of saline to one of the policemen "hold that good and high, I need both hands"

Rukia's temperature began to fall rapidly, while the tracing on the EKG grew erratic. At the bottom of the green screen, a small red heart began to blink, followed at once by a short repeated beep, a warning that heart failure was imminent.

In under a minute they had secured an airway, Tatsuki asked for a report on her vital signs and Renji replied that respiration was still stable but pressure had fallen to fifty, he had no time to finish his sentence: the short beep was replaced by a shrill alarm from the machine.

"that's it she's in V-fib, give me three hundred joules" Tatsuki picked up the two paddles of the apparatus and rubbed them together

"go ahead, you have the juice" yelled Renji

"pull back, im hitting her"

Under the jolt of the discharge the body arched brutally before falling back

"nope no good"

"try three-sixty, lets go"

"three-sixty it is, go ahead"

"Pull back!"

The body again rose and fell back lifelessly. "give me another 5 of epinephrine and reload to three-sixty. Pull back!" another jolt, another spasmodic leap "still fibrillating! We're losing her: inject one unit of lidocaine and reload. Pull back!" the body heaved upward. "give her an amp of bicarb and reload to three-eighty _stat!_"

With the new shock Rukia's heart seemed to be responding to the injected drugs and had returned to a normal rhythm, but not for long. The alarm signal which had briefly ceased, shrilled out louder than ever.

"Cardiac arrest!" exclaimed Renji.

Immediately, Tatsuki began cardiac massage with extraordinary determination. As she worked to bring her back to life, she was begging, "don't do this to us. It's a fine day today. Don't be stupid. Come back" she told her partner to reload the machine.

Renji tried to calm her down. "let her go, doc, it's no good"

But Tatsuki would not give up; she again yelled at Renji to reload the defibrillator, and he complied. Yet again Tatsuki shouted, "pull back!" and once more the body arched. But the electrocardiogram remained stubbornly flat, Tatsuki went back to cardiac massage, her forehead beaded with sweat. Renji realized that she had lost it and that she should have stopped trying and pronounced her time of death, but nothing could stop her, she went on massaging Rukia's heart

"give another shot of epinephrine and go up to four hundred joules"

"doc, stop, this makes no sense. She's dead. You don't know what your doing"

"Shut up! Do it!"

The policemen looked questioningly at the doctor kneeling beside Rukia, but Tatsuki was focusing on her patient. Renji shrugged, injected another dose into the IV tubing and reloaded the defibrillator. He called out the threshold level of four hundred joules and Tatsuki delivered it without even asking to pull back. Jolted by the current, the torso violently jerked upward. The EKG remained hopelessly flat-line.

The resident did not look at it, she pounded her fist on Rukia's chest "Damn! Damn!"

Renji grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her "come back to me, Tatsuki"

Spellbound the policemen watched the two, Tatsuki crumpled to her knees and raised her tear filled eyes toward Rukia and said in a low voice "time of death…seven-ten."

Renji turned to the policeman who was still awkwardly holding the IV bag and said "it's over. There's nothing more we can do" he then rose and wrapped his arms around Tatsuki and allowed her to breakdown in his arms, he walked her slowly back to the ambulance "shh it's alright doc, there was nothing more you could do"

"I know, I know, its just so hard…she's not even thirty…her whole life ahead of her…she's a colleague of mine" she muttered between sobs

"these things happen , when its your time there's nothing you can do about it." she wiped her eyes and solemnly got into the ambulance.

Renji then went back to the policemen and asked "could you please take care of the body. We're way over our time of duty and to be honest I'd rather not have her go on longer with this nightmare. She took it really bad" they nodded

"your lucky we have a van today. Go on and rest, you deserve it"

Thanking them with a wave of his hand Renji ran back to Tatsuki who was seated in the passenger with her seatbelt secured. He jumped into the driver seat and turned to the woman seated next to him "you alright baby?" Renji asked as he ran the back of his hand softly over her cheek. She leaned into his touch and gave him a small reassuring smile as they made their way back to the hospital. "when we get back, I want you to put this shit behind you okay"

Tatsuki could only nod her head silently.

Meanwhile two blocks behind them, the police van was entering an intersection when a white sedan raced through the light as it changed. Furious, the policeman braked sharply and sounded his horn, while the driver babbled his apologies.

The sudden stop had hurled Rukia's body off the stretcher. The two men went to the rear, the younger officer taking hold of her ankles while the older one grabbed her arms. His expression froze when he looked at her chest "She's breathing!"

"What?"

"she's fuckin' breathing I tell you, get behind the wheel, move it, we got to get to the hospital"

The police van caught up to the ambulance. As it raced past them the two puzzled medics recognized 'their cops'

"why were they driving that way"

"who knows" Renji responded "maybe it wasn't them, they all look alike"

Ten minutes later they pulled up at the ER entrance next to the police van, whose doors were still open. Tatsuki went into the hospital and hurried to the ER check-in desk, skipping any greeting she blurted "did they bring someone in?" not waiting for a reply she insisted "where is she?"

"the woman in the car accident?" asked the receptionist "area three. Dr Ishida is with her. Apparently she's one of his team"

Behind her, the older policeman grabbed her shoulder roughly and spun her around "what shit were you medics playing at"

"I beg your pardon?"

A hand shot out and grabbed the officers arm shoving it away from Tatsuki "back off" Renji growled as he moved to half stand in front of her, shielding her.

How was it she pronounced a young woman dead when she was still breathing in his van "you realize that if I hadn't noticed, we would have put her into cold storage alive?" the officer narrowed his eyes at them "you haven't heard the last of this"

Renji took a menacing step towards him, at that moment Dr. Ishida emerged from area three. Seeming not to notice the tension he spoke directly to the young doctor "Arisawa how many doses of epinephrine did you give her?"

"five milligrams, four times"

The professor at once reprimanded her for administering intensive resuscitation measures when the case did not warrant them. Then turning to the officer Ishida said that Rukia was dead well before Dr. Arisawa announced the time of death. Ishida also added that the EMS's teams only mistake was in its overzealous attempts to revive the heart at taxpayers expense. Concerning what had happened next, he explained the accumulation of the drugs they had injected had pooled around the pericardium "when you slammed on the brakes, the medication flowed into her heart, which reacted to the chemicals and started to beat again. Unfortunately, that did not alter that the victim was brain-dead. As for her heart, as soon as the drugs wear off, it will again stop, if it hasn't already done so" Ishida suggested that the officer apologize to Dr Arisawa for his totally inappropriate comments, then asked Tatsuki to come and see him.

The older cop turned to Tatsuki and mumbled "I see the police aren't the only ones to close ranks and protect their own" the cop turned on his heel and walked out of the hospital building.

Tatsuki remained standing next to Renji, he reminded her that Dr Ishida wanted to see her and that he would wait for her so they could go home together.

Tatsuki knocked at the half open door of Rukia's boss "come in" said Ishida. Standing behind his desk with his back facing Tatsuki as he gazed out the window, he obviously wanted her to speak first, she admitted that she was puzzled by what the professor told the policeman

Ishida interrupted her coldly "listen Arisawa, that policeman was upset, I gave him an explanation that set his mind at ease and to keep him from filing a report that might ruin your career. Your handling of that resuscitation was unacceptable for someone of your experience"

"but how do you explain that she started breathing again?"

"I cant explain it, and I don't have to. She's dead Dr Arisawa. You may not like it, but she's gone. I don't give a damn if her lungs are moving and her heart is beating on its own, her electroencephalograph is flat. we'll let things take their course then send her down to the morgue. Period"

"but you cant do that. Not with so much evidence to the contrary! You've got to try something!"

Ishida shook his head and raised his voice. He did not need to be told what to do. Did Arisawa know how much one day of intensive care cost? He ordered her to get out of his sight but the young doctor stood her ground and restated her argument with new vigor, that against all odds, her heart started beating and her lungs had begun to inhale and exhale again - the breath of life. She begged Ishida not to give up on her "don't let her go, she doesn't want to, that's what she's telling us." after a moments silence, Ishida replied "this conversation is over"

Tatsuki left the office without closing the door. A few seconds later Dr Ishida picked up the phone, hesitated, put it down, took a couple of steps to the window, then grabbed the phone again. He asked for the surgical suite and was immediately connected "Ishida speaking, get ready, I need a neurosurgeon, we're operating in ten minutes, I'll send up the chart"

Ishida entered the operating room in a close fitting green scrub suit. A nurse pulled his sterile gloves over his hands; the surgical team surrounded Rukia's body. Behind her head, a monitor displayed the rhythm of her breathing and heartbeat "how are her vital signs?" Ishida asked

"stable, unbelievably stable. Sixty-five and one-twenty over eighty. Her blood gases are normal, she's asleep, you can begin."

Calling them 'my dear colleagues' Ishida explained they were about to see a professor of surgery, with twenty years experience perform an operation worthy of the skills of a second-year resident - setting a fractured femur. "and do you know why im doing it? Because no self-respecting resident would perform such an operation on a patient who had been brain-dead for more than two hours" he added that he would therefore appreciate it if nobody asked him any questions. The broken leg would take fifteen minutes at the most and he thanked them for going along with him on this one.

Rukia had been one of his students, all the medical staff present in the room knew how hard this must be for the surgeon and were determined to go through it with him. A radiologist came in and mounted a CT scan on the view-box. The image showed a bloodclot on the brain, to relieve the pressure a hole was drilled in the back of Rukia's skull and a fine needle passed through the meninges, controlled by a screen and directed by the neurosurgeon to the site of the hematoma. The brain itself appeared unharmed, fluid began to drain through the tubing. Almost instantly the intracranial pressure dropped. The anesthetist adjusted the respirator to increase the flow of oxygen to the brain. Once decompressed the brain cells reverted to a normal metabolism, gradually eliminating the accumulated toxins.

Minute by minute the nature of the endeavor was changing and the whole team forgot they were operating on someone who was clinically dead.

Hours later Dr Ishida snapped his gloves off, he asked the team to close the incisions then transfer his patient to the recovery room. He ordered the nurses to take Rukia off the respirator once the anesthesia had worn off. Once again he thanked the team for their help and future discretion, before he left the OR he asked one of the nurses, Hiyori, to let him know when she disconnected Rukia.

Rukia was taken from the OR to the recovery room, Hiyori connected the cardiac monitor, the electroencephalograph and the respirator, the young woman looked like an astronaut. Hiyori took a blood sample and left the room, the sleeping patient looked peaceful. Half an hour went by and Hiyori called Dr Ishida to confirm his previous order "Disconnect the respirator, I'll be down in a while"

Hiyori went back to the room, she detached Rukia's breathing tube from the extension tubing leading to the machine allowing her patient to try breathing on her own. A few moments later she pulled out the tubing altogether freeing Rukia's throat, she looked down at her for a bit shook her head sadly then went out, turning the light off behind her. Now the room was bathed in the faint green glow of the encephalograph…the line was still flat.

At the end of the first hour the EEG tracing began to wobble slightly at first, suddenly the needle jerked upward to delineate a sharp peak, then fell sharply downward before returning to the normal horizontal. As fate would have it no one witnessed this strange occurrence. An hour later Hiyori returned to the room, after taking Rukia's vital signs, she unrolled a few inches of the telltale strip of paper the machine had generated. She noticed the strange peak and frowned, read a few more inches, since the rest of the tracing was flat-line, she threw it in the trash without wondering further. She picked up the phone and called Ishida "it's me, we have a deep coma with vital signs stable, what do I do?"

"find a bed on the fifth floor and thanks Hiyori"

Hiyori feared the worst - that although Rukia's vital signs were stable, only her primitive brain stem was still functioning. Her cortical function, the function that made her Rukia, made her see, feel and act, made her a living human being, seemed to be completely gone.

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hiya sorry bout the long update but will definitely beat my laziness and keep uploading, thanks to the 2 of you who reviewed so far :)  
next chapter CONTACT IS MADE WOOHOO


	3. Chapter 3

yay i updated alot faster than i thought i would

AvedlyTres - thanks for your review just went by the book on terminology, im not making any claims on this story as its based on mark levy's book and i just thought it would be perfect with ichigo and rukia as the main characters and its just such a great story, im glad you like it though and yes bya & ruki will have a good family relationship on this just like the bleach at the beach episode weeeheee

glon morski - im so happy that you are reviewing on chapters as i love feedback, please keep em coming

note: standard disclaimers apply :)

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Chapter 3

Ichigo opened the door to the street level garage with the remote control and parked his car. He climbed the outdoor steps that led from his garage to his new third-floor apartment, swung the door shut with his foot, put his briefcase down then collapsed onto the couch. Several cardboard boxes were stacked in the living room, waiting to be unpacked. He had moved in ten days ago and he hadn't brought much with him - only his draftsmans table, his work files, his CDs and his art and architecture books. Only after his relationship with Orihime had finally, definitively fallen apart had he accepted that it was time for him to move on, to try start living his own life again, rather than the somewhat tentative temporary one he'd grafted onto hers.

He'd been lucky to find this apartment. An architect specializing in the restoration of homes, he was amazed at how comfortable he'd immediately felt when he'd entered this apartment, whoever had designed this environment had a keen sense of life and had created a home of taste and charm - and coming from Ichigo, that was a huge compliment.

He didn't need to change anything, just fit his draftsman's table in the living room, buy some towels and linens and rudimentary kitchen supplies, and he'd had an instant home

He changed out of his suit and put on a pair of jeans and began to unpack his books and CDs, arranging them alphabetically on the shelf by the fireplace. When he finished, he stood back and looked at his perfectly ordered collection "I think I might be getting a bit obsessive" he said to himself

He went to the bathroom, contemplated on either a shower or a bath, opting for the bath, he started the water running, switched on the little radio sitting on the radiator next to the walk-in linen closet, undressed, and sank into the tub with a sigh

As the soft strains of "Fever" played on the radio, Ichigo dunked his head several times under the water. There was something odd about the acoustic quality of the song.

He was surprised by the stereo effect, particularly since his radio had only one crummy internal speaker. He sat up straight in the tub and listened carefully, it sounded as though the finger snapping accompanying the tune came straight from the linen closet, intrigued, he emerged from the water and crept over to investigate. The sound was becoming more and more distinct, he paused took a deep breath and abruptly threw the doors open. His eyes widened and he stumbled back

Huddled on the floor beneath the hangers sat a young woman, eyes closed, seemingly transported by the rhythm of the song, humming along and snapping her fingers

"what the hell are you doing here" he asked, shocked and amazed, all at once "who the hell are you?"

The woman jumped and looked at him with wide, startled eyes "you can see me?"

"of course I can see you"

She seemed astonished that he should be looking at her "you can hear me?"

His usual scowl settled on his brow as he pointed out that he wasn't blind or deaf and asked again "what the hell are you doing here?"

"this is wonderful, amazing!"

Ichigo saw nothing 'wonderful' about the situation, although there was plenty that was 'amazing'

Increasingly irritated he asked "what, I repeat, are you doing in my bathroom closet?"

"I don't think you realize, touch my arm"

He stood there, his scowl deepening as she held out her arm

"please…"

"no, I wont touch your arm. What the heck is going on here?"

She grabbed Ichigo's wrist and asked him if he felt it when she touched him. Greatly annoyed, he confirmed that he did indeed feel her touch, that he saw her and that he heard her perfectly well.

For the fourth time he asked her who she was and what she was doing in his bathroom closet

She ignored his question "I just can't believe it, you can actually see me, hear me and feel me, this is fabulous"

Ichigo was in no mood for this game "okay that's it, what is this, a practical joke? A call girl from my partner as a house warming gift?"

"are you always this rude? Do I look like a hooker?"

Ichigo sighed " no you don't, your just hiding in my closet in the middle of the night"

"and yet you're the one who's naked, not me"

Ichigo, startled, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist as he tried to compose himself "okay, the joke is over, you can come out of there, go home and tell Uryu it was lame, really, really lame"

She didn't know Uryu she told him "and could you please stop yelling, other people may not be able to hear me but I can hear perfectly well"

Ichigo felt way too tired at this nonsense and he wasn't about to play twenty questions trying to figure out what was really going on

"listen" he told the young woman before him "it seems your quite disturbed, but its not my problem, I've just finished unpacking and im really tired and I really need some peace and quiet, so stop whatever game your playing and go home. And get out of my closet for God's sake!"

The young woman looked at him sadly "I'm afraid its not that easy. I haven't quite gotten the knack yet, though its gotten better the last few days"

"whats 'gotten better' the last few days?"

"shut your eyes im going to try"

"try what?"

"to get out of this closet, that's what you want, isn't it? So shut your eyes, I have to concentrate and don't say anything for a couple of minutes"

"this is freakin insane!"

"oh please, just shut up and close your eyes, then we wont have to spend the night here"

Not knowing what else to do, Ichigo glared at her before obeying, two seconds later he heard a voice coming from the living room

"not bad I just missed the couch but still not bad at all"

He hurried from the bathroom and saw the young woman sitting on the floor in the middle of the room. She acted as though nothing was out of the ordinary "im glad you've kept the rugs, but I hate that painting on the wall" she said, indicating his college attempt at abstract expressionism

"I'll hang whatever painting I want, wherever I want. I don't know how you do this place-shifting thingy and really I don't care, I just want to go to bed, so if you don't want to tell me who you are, fine, I don't need to know, just please, go home!"

"I am home! Or at least I was, its all so confusing"

Ichigo shook his head "listen, I moved in here ten days ago, this my home, not yours"

"yes I know, you're my postmortem tenant. If you think about it, its really rather funny"

"funny? What do you mean 'postmortem tenant' the owner of this apartment is a guy who's like in his late forties and very much alive - or at least that's what the realtor told me"

"he'd love to hear that" she said sarcastically "he's actually only thirty-four, although he has looked a lot more worn and weary recently. He's my brother and for the time being he's my legal guardian. Im the actual owner"

"you have a legal guardian?"

"yes, in my present condition, im having a tough time signing papers"

"are you under hospital care?"

"that's putting it mildly"

"well they must be really worried about you, which hospital is it? I'll drive you there"

"hey, you don't think Im some nutcase that escaped from an asylum?"

"no, not…"

"because first you call me a whore and now a nutcase, that's a bit much for a first meeting"

"listen I don't really care who you are: whore, nutcase, you could even be some fugitive from 'Bewitched' im exhausted and I just want to go to bed and get some sleep"

She ignored him and kept on with her questions

"how do I seem to you?"

"seem? Disturbed, you seem very disturbed" he said flatly

"I mean physically, how do I look?"

Ichigo hesitated before describing her, he told himself maybe if he went along with her for just a bit he could get rid of her, and she really was quite striking, he realized as he concentrated on her appearance

"your rather pretty" he admitted " your on the short side though, rather slender - smooth legs, I see. Your eyes -" he stopped short. Her eyes were remarkable - an indeterminate colour that seemed to shift from the softest violet to midnight blue, but he wasn't going to get caught up in this mess

"you have a cute pout, pale skin, a pleasing face whose sweetness is the total opposite of your behavior, your hair is a mess and could use a good combing out but its quite a nice colour"

She laughed "if I asked for directions to Market Street, would you list every building I'd pass on the way?"

"Im sorry, I don't get the joke"

"do you always describe women so minutely?"

Ichigo felt his anger rising, he was fed up "how did you get in here? Do you have copies of the keys?"

"I don't need keys, its so amazing that you can see me, a miracle. I just can't get it. And your description of me was really very kind, very sweet" she patted the floor beside her "please sit down here beside me"

"what I have to tell you is not easy to understand, impossible to accept. But if you are willing to trust me - then maybe in the end you'll believe me. And its very important that you, in particular, should believe me. For without knowing it you are the only person in the world I can share my secret with"

Ichigo sighed, it seemed he had no choice. He must hear what this young woman had to say. So even though all he wanted was to sleep, he sat down next to her and listened to the most improbable tale he had ever heard in his life.

* * *

NEXT CHAPTER: the tale about a white horse thats really a donkey..........lmao just kidding

please keep reading and reviewing, and if there are any worries about orihime, discard them now, as she is barely mentioned, doesnt make any appearance whatsoever and this is solely ichiruki :) will try to update again as soon as possible

on that note i'll dedicate this chapter to my brother who's birthday is today HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETER WOOHOO 26 AND STILL LIVING WITH MOMS, LMAO, LOOOSER!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

standard disclaimers apply

didnt think the chapter would be this long but oh well. enjoy :) and thanks to you that have reviewed so far

* * *

Chapter 4

Her name was Rukia Kuchiki, and she claimed to be a doctor, a medical resident. She told him she had had a car accident six months ago, a serious one, when her steering system failed. "I've been in a coma ever since. No don't start thinking yet; just let me explain."

She had no memory of the accident and she had regained consciousness in the recovery room. Overwhelmed by the strangest sensations, she could hear everything going on around her, but could neither move nor speak. At first she attributed this to anesthesia. "but I was wrong; hours went by, days, and I couldn't wake up physically." she continued to perceive everything but was unable to communicate with the outside world.

"that was the most terrifying period of my life, for several days I thought that I was quadriplegic. You have no idea what I went through, a prisoner inside my body for life." even worse the outside world - the doctors, her brother, her friends - all seemed to believe that she'd suffered irreversible damage.

She had wished with all her might to die, she said, "but its hard to end it all when you cant even lift your little finger. My brother sat by my bed, day after day, hour after hour, and I begged him with my thoughts to smother me with a pillow."

One day a doctor entered the room and she recognized his voice. It was her supervising physician, Ryuken Ishida. Byakuya asked him whether his sister could hear when people spoke to her. Dr Ishida said he did not know, but studies suggest that comatose patients were indeed sometimes aware of what went on around them. So they should all be careful what they said around her.

"my brother asked him if there was any chance I'd come back one day." Dr Ishida answered quietly that he still did not know, but that he should hold on to a reasonable measure of hope, because people had been known to emerge from comas even after several months. It was rare, but it happened "anything is possible," he said "we're not gods; we don't know everything. Deep coma is a mystery to medicine."

"I was relieved to hear that," Rukia said "my body was relatively undamaged. Ishida was not exactly comforting, but at least he wasn't final, either. Quadriplegia is irreversible," Rukia added.

"the weeks dragged on, and on, longer and longer, and soon seemed endless. I lived through them by using my mind and memory to transport myself to other places. In my imagination I'd go everywhere I couldn't go and recount to myself every detail of the places I knew and loved. It was a way to relieve the endless monotony. One night, I was picturing the bustling activity I heard outside my door. I pictured the corridor - the nurses scurrying by, arms full of folders or pushing carts, my colleagues coming and going from one room to another."

"and that's the first time it happened; suddenly, there I was, in the middle of the corridor I had been visualizing so intently. At first I thought it was my imagination playing tricks. I know the place well, after all, I've worked there for several years. But it all felt so astoundingly real. I could actually see the staff around me."

"I could hear the elevator doors, smell the awful meals being served. But no one could see me; people moved to and fro without even trying to avoid me. They walked right through me totally unaware of my presence."

In the next few days she learned to move about the hospital. She would concentrate on imagining the cafeteria and she would be there, or the emergency room, and presto, there she was! After a few weeks of practice she could escape from the hospital. She shared a meal with a French couple at one of her favourite restaurants, seen half a film in a local theatre, and spent several hours in her brothers apartment. "I didn't repeat that visit. It hurt to much to be there, and to see how sad he was, even when he was home. It was bad enough to see him everyday at the hospital and be unable to communicate with him. Besides my dog, Kon, had sensed my presence and went running around and around whimpering. I made him crazy. I couldn't handle it, it was just too frustrating, too unbearable. So I came here to this apartment. After all it was my home, and I feel best here. I especially love it in the afternoons, I've gotten used to having you around." she smiled as though prompting him to say something, he didn't. "I sometimes go back to the hospital to be near my body. If im away from it for too long, I get incredibly exhausted. I never sleep, I just rest, I'm always awake, twenty-four hours a day" she looked sad.

"you must understand, I live in total isolation. You cant imagine what its like not being able to speak to anybody, to be completely transparent, not to exist anymore in everyday life. Im here, I feel alive, yet I cant affect anything or anyone. So you'll understand my surprise, my exhilaration, when you spoke to me this evening and I realized you could see me. I don't know why but I only hope it lasts, I could talk to you for hours, I've seen so much, thought so much, been so alone for so long, I've stored up so many things to say."

Her rush of words gave way to a moment of silence. She looked at Ichigo.

"you must think I'm crazy."

Ichigo's annoyance had left him, despite himself he was moved by the young woman's emotion and mesmerized by her bewildering tale.

"no you don't seem crazy. But this is all very - I don't even know how to put it - disturbing, surprising, extraordinary. I don't know what to say, I'd like to help you, but I don't know how I can."

"let me stay here. Talk to me, let me live again for a while, I wont bother you."

"you truly believe everything you just told me?"

"you don't believe a word I said." her face fell. "right now your telling yourself you have a totally unbalanced girl on your hands…I guess I never stood a chance, did I?"

He asked her to put herself in his place. What would her first reaction be if she found a man hiding in her bathroom closet - a somewhat over-wrought man, whose explanation was that he was some kind of ghost whose body was in a coma?

Her features relaxed and she smiled a little. She had to admit that her first reaction would be to scream. She granted him that the circumstances were bizarre.

"but I beg you, Ichigo, you must believe me, how could anyone make up such a story?"

"oh yes my business partner could easily dream up a practical joke on this scale"

"forget your partner, Ichigo. He has nothing to do with it. This isn't a joke."

"how do you know my name?"

"oh, I was here when you looked over the apartment with the realtor. I was really pleased you liked it so much. I felt very flattered, I remember you signed the lease on the kitchen counter. I was also here when you brought up your boxes and you broke your model airplane." she giggled. "of course, I'm sorry you broke your toy, but, oh the cursing and shouting."

"I even watched you hang that hideous painting on the wall, although I admit I used all my willpower to make it fall down, to no avail."

"I was here when you did your obsessive-compulsive number with your drafting table. You must have shifted it twenty times before putting it in the only position it could possibly fit. It was so obvious, I couldn't fathom why it took you so long."

"I've been with you since the first day, the whole time."

"you're here when I take a shower and when I'm in bed?"

"don't worry I'm not a voyeur, although I must say you're quite nicely built, apart from that orange hair - that I now know is one hundred percent natural - but apart from that, you're really quite attractive."

Ichigo frowned. She was convincing - or rather had convinced herself - but her story just didn't make sense. If she wanted to believe it, let her. He had no reason to attempt to persuade her she was deluded, he wasn't her therapist, after all.

He glanced at the clock, he just wanted to sleep, and despite her wild tale, she seemed harmless enough, so to bring things to a halt he offered to put her up for the night. He would take the couch in the living room. "the one below my hideous attempt at art," and she could take his bedroom. Tomorrow she could go back to where she had come from, to the hospital, or wherever she wanted to go, and that would be the end of it.

But Rukia did not agree, she stood squarely in front of him, her face defiant, determined. Taking a deep breath, she reeled off an astonishing list of all he had said and done in the last few days. She repeated his phone conversation with Orihime last Saturday. "she hung up on you right after you lectured her, fairly pompously I must say, about the reasons you don't want to discuss your relationship anymore. _Believe me!_" she begged.

Then she reminded him of the two cups he had broken unpacking. _Believe me!_ and how he had overslept and scalded himself in the shower. _Believe me!_

She teased him about the time he had spent looking for his keys, throwing a tantrum although nobody was there. She thought he was unobservant because the keys were right there in plain sight, on the little table just inside the front door, _Please believe me._

On Tuesday the phone company came around at 5 pm after keeping him waiting for three hours. Then she recalled that he ate a pastrami sandwich, spilled mustard on his coat, and had to change before going out again. "now do you believe me? I've been living with you for ten days. Don't turn away from me, Ichigo, I beg you. Im a waking miracle. _Believe me!_"

Now he felt exposed, invaded, she had intruded into intimate parts of his life. "you've been spying on me all this time. Why?"

"I haven't been spying on you. Can you see any cameras or microphones in this place?"

"no, I don't, but it would make more sense than your story, wouldn't it?"

"get your car keys!" she ordered suddenly.

"and where are we going?"

"to the hospital, I'll take you to see me."

"oh, sure. it's the middle of the night and I'm supposed to schlepp over to the hospital on the other side of town and ask the night nurses to rush me up to the room of a woman I don't know. I'll tell them her ghost is camping out in my apartment, and I really want to get some sleep, but she's dug her heels in, and this is the only way I can get her to leave me in peace."

"do you know of any other?"

"any other what?"

"any other way you're likely to get some sleep."

"dear God, what did I do to deserve this?"

"you don't believe in God. You said so on the phone to your business partner, 'Uryu, I don't believe in God. If we get this contract, its because we're the best, if we lose it, we'll have to ask ourselves where we went wrong.' Well consider just for a moment that you might be wrong now, that's all I ask. _Believe me!_ I need you, you're my only hope!"

Hearing Rukia mention Uryu's name prompted Ichigo to pick up the phone and dial his partners number.

"Uryu did I wake you?"

Uryu's voice was groggy and a little annoyed.

"no, no, it's the middle of the night and I was waiting for your bedtime call."

"really? Was I supposed to call you?"

"No, you weren't supposed to call, and yes, you did wake me. What do you want?"

"to hand the phone over to someone and let you know that this time you've gone too far with one of your stupid practical jokes."

Ichigo handed the phone to Rukia and asked her to speak to his partner. She could not take the phone, she told him, she could not hold any solid object. Uryu was getting impatient on the other end of the line, asked Ichigo whom he was talking to. Ichigo smiled in triumph and pressed the button for the speakerphone.

"can you hear me, Uryu?"

"yes I can here you. What's this about, I'd like to get back to sleep"

"I'd like to sleep too, be quiet a second. Speak to him Rukia, go ahead, speak to him!"

She shrugged. "if you like. Hello, Uryu. You most certainly cant hear me, unlike your partner, who can, but wont listen to me"

"okay Ichigo, why did you call? If you don't have anything to say, its really late"

"answer her"

"answer who?"

"the person who just spoke to you"

"you're the person who just spoke to me, and now im answering"

"you didn't hear anyone else?"

"tell me, Joan of Arc, have you been working too hard? Are you hallucinating?"

Rukia was staring pityingly at Ichigo.

He shook his head. He realized that if this really was one of Uryu's jokes, it was to soon for him to call it quits. Ichigo told Uryu to forget it and apologized for calling so late. Anxiously, Uryu asked if everything was alright, and whether he should come over.

Ichigo reassured him, "everything's fine, forget it, thanks"

"no need to thank me, buddy, if you have a problem, you can wake me anytime with your bullshit. Be my guest! We're partners for better or worse. So whenever you're having a bad patch, wake me up and we'll share. Okay, can I go back to sleep or do you have anything else on your mind?"

"goodnight Uryu"

They hung up

"take me to the hospital, we could have been there by now."

"no I wont. Because if I do, I'm already halfway to accepting your crazy story. Im tired and I want to go to bed. So you take my bedroom and I'll take the couch, or else you can leave. That's my last offer."

"you're even more stubborn than I am. Keep the room, I don't need a bed."

"and what will you do?"

"does it matter?"

"it matters."

"I'll stay right here in the living room."

"until tomorrow morning, but after that…"

"Yes, until tomorrow morning. Thanks for your gracious hospitality!"

"and no spying on me in my bedroom!"

"since you think I'm faking, just lock your door. If your concerned because you sleep in the buff, I've already seen you, you know!"

"I thought you weren't a voyeur."

She pointed out a while ago in the bathroom she would have had to be blind not to see him nude. He cringed and wished her goodnight. "you too, Ichigo, and sweet dreams."

Ichigo slammed his bedroom door "she's mad," he grumbled. He crawled into bed, pulled up the covers and tried to get to sleep. But of course he couldn't.

He kept going over her appearance, her words, and that bit of doubt kept flaring, especially when he pondered how she'd vaporized from the closet to the living room. Or, he told himself, maybe he was the one going mad.

The green numbers on his digital alarm clock indicated one-thirty. He watched the numbers slip by until two-eleven. Then he got up, pulled on a thick sweater and jeans, and stepped quickly into the living room.

Rukia was sitting cross-legged on the window seat. When he came in, she spoke to him without turning around "I love this view, don't you? Its what convinced me to buy this apartment. I love looking at the park at night, where the lights don't quite dispel the darkness that leads into the trees. And just before the sun sets, the long eerie shadows the trees make on that perfect green grass"

"alright, lets go"

"Really? What changed your mind?"

"since you've already destroyed most of my night, I may as well settle this right now. I'm supposed to work tomorrow. I have an important lunch meeting, and I really need at least four hours sleep, can you hurry?"

"I said I'll join you, trust me for just two minutes."

He felt he had already trusted her quite enough. Before he left the house, he asked her again for her last name. she gave it to him, along with the room number she was supposedly hospitalized.

Room 505. It was easy, she said, only fives. But he saw nothing easy in what lay ahead. Ichigo locked the door behind him, went down the stairs and into the garage. Rukia was already sitting in the backseat of the car.

"I don't know how you did that, but im very impressed. You must have worked with Houdini."

"Who?"

"Houdini the magician. Come sit up front, I'm not in the mood to play chauffeur on top of everything else."

"can you try to be a little kind to me? I told you I haven't perfected my aim yet. Even though I focused hard on the inside of the car, I might have easily have landed on the hood. So the backseat is pretty good, trust me, I'm improving."

Rukia came and sat next to him. She looked out the window as Ichigo drove through the night. He broke the silence to ask her what he should say once they reached the hospital. She had an idea.

"you're my cousin from Argentina. You've just heard the news and you've got a layover on your flight to England, which leaves at dawn, and you wont be back for six months. That's why its imperative for them to break the rules and allow you to visit your beloved cousin, despite the late hour."

Ichigo didn't think he made a convincing Argentinean and predicted that the ruse wouldn't work.

"don't be so negative," she said "if worse comes to worst, we'll come back tomorrow." besides, she explained, they would have a better chance of getting in if they didn't seem to be worried. But Ichigo insisted that it was only Rukia's story and wild imagination that was worrying him.

The car turned into the hospital complex. She told him to make a right, then take the third opening on the left and park just beyond the silver pine.

Once they were stopped, she pointed to the night bell warning him not to ring it too long because it annoyed them.

"who?" he asked.

"the nurses. They have to come from the far end of a long hall, and they don't know how to tele-transport themselves"

Ichigo just sat there, his head resting atop his arms on the steering wheel.

"come on, wake up!" Rukia called in his ear.

"I only wish I could," he said ruefully.

Ichigo stepped up to the night buzzer and gave it two short rings. A few minutes later, a woman carrying a clipboard, with glasses and her hair up in a bun with her fringe parted to the side opened the door halfway and asked him what he wanted. He stumbled through his lines as best he could. The nurse told him that the hospital had its rules, that rules were meant to be followed: he should simply postpone his flight and come back the next morning.

He begged, he invoked the importance of extended family, he invoked the exorbitant cost of international travel, he invoked the exception that was supposed to prove the rule. Nothing worked.

He was about to acknowledge defeat when he saw the nurse weaken. She glanced at her watch and said "I've got to do my rounds. Follow me, don't make a sound, don't touch anything and in fifteen minutes you're out of here." He took her hand and kissed it in token of his gratitude. "are you all like that in a Argentina?" she asked with a slight smile.

She opened the door wider to allow him inside. They walked to the elevators and went straight up to the fifth floor.

She opened the door to room 505. The room was semi dark, lit only by a small yellow night-light.

From the doorway, Ichigo could see a woman lying on the bed, apparently sleeping deeply, but he could not make out her features. The nurse spoke to him in a whisper. "I'll leave the door open, go on in, there's no chance she'll wake up, but be careful what you say, you never know with coma patients. At least that's what the doctors say."

Ichigo ventured in cautiously. Rukia was standing by the window and urged him to go up to the bed. "go on I'm not going to bite you."

As he approached the bed and looked down, he continued asking himself what he was doing there.

The motionless woman was paler than her double, and thinner. Her hands had begun to turn inward in the seizing up that occurs in long-term coma patients, and she looked frail, but the resemblance was striking.

He took a step back. "are you her twin sister?"

"you're hopeless. I don't have a sister. that's me lying there, no one else but me. No one is playing tricks on you and you aren't dreaming. Ichigo please, you're the only chance I have, you have to help me."

"can you imagine what its like for me to see myself like that, growing paler and more wasted by the day. _Believe me,_ Ichigo! You're the only person I've been able to communicate with for six months, the only human being who senses I'm here and hears me."

"why me?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. Maybe because of the apartment? Because your living in my space? Or maybe there's something special about you. Have you ever had ESP experiences?"

"Never. I'm a complete rationalist, and this whole thing is starting to freak me out."

"you think I'm not freaked out?" she asked him.

Of fear, she'd had more than her fair share. She had watched her own body gradually withering away, lying there with an IV drip to irrigate her, a feeding tube to nourish her, and a catheter to carry away her waste.

She could move about all over the city, invisible, but she couldn't so much as make her own body's eyelids flutter.

She had no way to explain to him how this was possible, she could no more answer his questions than she could those she had asked herself everyday since the accident.

"you cant even begin to imagine what goes through my mind." with a forlorn look, she confided in him her doubts and worries. "I ask myself how long can this mystery possibly last? Why has this happened to me, of all people? I'm a scientist, not a whacked-out psychic who's been trying to astral project since the sixties. How did I get trapped here, separate from my body? How can I get back? Will I ever be able to lead a normal life again, even for just a few days, walking on my own two legs, talking to the people I love and having them feel my touch? Its torture, believe me."

"I don't know how many days I have left before my heart gives out. At first, people came to visit often; friends and colleagues from the hospital would stop by several times a day - and they'd all talk to me, they all tried to talk me back from the coma. But that was only for the first few weeks. Now my friends have stopped coming, my colleagues still look in, but they don't talk to me as if they believe I could possibly wake up anymore."

"only my brother valiantly holds on, but I can tell he's weakening. I've heard the doctors and nurses speculating on how long the hospital will let me keep this room - in an ordinary situation, they would have transferred me to an extended-care facility after a few weeks."

"you must understand Ichigo, I've been here, watching myself die. I'm terrified and I'm all alone. You're my first ray of hope. Do you know how wonderful it is to have someone hear me? To be able to talk and have you respond? To be able to feel it when you touch me? You're my only human contact. I may be a ghost Ichigo, but I'm a human ghost."

He lowered his gaze, avoiding her desperate eyes. "to die you have to leave first, and you're still here," he murmured.

They remained silent for a long time, then he took her hand. "Come, lets go home. I'm tired and so are you. Come back with me."

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him comfortingly. Turning around, he found himself face-to-face with the nurse, who was looking at him with dismay.

"are you okay?"

"Yes, why?"

"your arm in the air like that, your fingers curled, it looks like you have some sort of cramp."

Ichigo quickly dropped his hand from Rukia's shoulder.

"you really cant see her, can you?"

"can't see who?"

"no one"

"would you like to rest a little before you leave? All of a sudden you seem a little overwrought," the nurse tried to soothe him "its always a shock to see a loved one in a coma, why don't you sit down and relax for a bit"

Ichigo spoke slowly, as if searching for lost words. " No really I'm fine, I'll just go now"

The nurse was concerned that he might not be able to find his way back. Pulling himself together, Ichigo reassured her that he could, the exit was just at the end of the hall.

"I'll say goodbye here then."

Ichigo said goodbye and started down the corridor.

The nurse saw him lift his arm back to the horizontal and heard him mumble

"I believe you Rukia, I believe you"

The nurse frowned, shook her head and went on her way, thinking nothing more of it.

* * *

woohoo another one down and yeah about the argentinean thing........i got nothing but i hope you enjoyed. please read and review, i welcome all sorts of reviews (even flames) and i'll try to update again as soon as possible weeeeeeeeeeeee


	5. Chapter 5

standard disclaimers apply

enjoy :) and thanks to those who have reviewed

* * *

Chapter 4

Ichigo and Rukia headed out of the hospital together in silence. A north wind had blown in from the ocean bringing with it drizzling rain. It was suddenly quite cold. Ichigo pulled his coat collar up and opened the car door for Rukia "we're going to have to lighten up a little on the walking-through-walls act, do you mind?"

She climbed into the car in the conventional way and smiled at him.

Neither uttered a word on the way back, Ichigo concentrated on the road, trying to keep at bay the thousands of questions that were flooding his mind, while Rukia watched the clouds scudding over the night sky. Only when they were nearly home did she speak, without turning her face from the window.

"I used to love the night for its silence, all those shapes without shadows, the looks of strangers you never catch during the daytime. It's as if two separate worlds share the same city without knowing each other, without imagining the existence of the other. So many people come out at night and disappear with the dawn. No one knows where they go. The hospital personnel, the late-night workers - we're the only ones who know them."

"Rukia, you've got to admit that this all seems impossible."

"yes, but please lets not spend the rest of the night discussing it."

"you mean, what's left of my night!"

Ichigo parked his car on the street to avoid waking his neighbors with the noise of the garage door. Slowly, he went upstairs and into his apartment. Rukia was already sitting cross-legged in the middle of the living room.

"did you aim for the couch?" he asked, amused.

"no, I aimed for the carpet and landed right on target."

"yeah right, I bet you aimed for the couch."

"and I'm telling you I aimed for the rug!"

"liar." Ichigo muttered under his breath

"I would love to make you some tea, but….you should go to bed."

Ichigo sighed and turned toward the bedroom, again offering it to Rukia "really I don't mind sleeping on the couch," he assured her. She thanked him for his gallantry, but the couch was fine. He went to bed too tired to think about all of the evenings implications, there would be time for that tomorrow.

Before he closed the door he wished her goodnight, and she asked him for one last favor. "would you mind giving me a hug?" Ichigo cocked his head coyly "its been six months since anyone held me."

He walked over, took her by the shoulders, and pulled her into the circle of his arms. She rested her head against his chest. They stood like that for a few minutes. Ichigo felt awkward, at a loss. She felt fragile, and a bit cold, but she felt real.

Clumsily he dropped his hands to her slender waist. She brushed his shoulder with her cheek.

"thank you Ichigo, thank you for everything. Go to sleep now, you must be exhausted. I'll wake you at eight."

He went to his bedroom, peeled off sweater and shirt, tossed his pants on a chair, and crawled under the covers, moments later he was asleep.

Rukia remained in the living room until she assumed he was asleep, then she shut her eyes, concentrated, and made a wobbly landing on the arm of the big chair facing the bed. For a long time she watched him. Ichigo's face looked peaceful, she could even see the beginnings of a smile at the corners of his mouth. How good it was to connect with another human being at last. She gazed at him until slumber overwhelmed her too.

When Rukia awoke, it was ten o'clock; Ichigo was still fast asleep. "oh my God!" she said loudly, and sat down beside the bed, shaking him vigorously. "Wake up!"

He turned over, protesting, "take it easy, Orihime"

"charming, absolutely charming. Wake up, this isn't Orihime, and its already past ten."

At first Ichigo's eyelids parted slowly, then they snapped wide open and he jolted upright.

"you're disappointed? You'd prefer Orihime?"

"its you, so, it wasn't a dream?"

"you could have spared me that line, its awfully predictable. Come on, you'd better hurry, you're late for work."

"you were supposed to wake me."

"I'm sorry, I fell asleep, which hasn't happened to me since the accident. What a relief! I was hoping we could celebrate, but obviously you're not in the mood."

"don't use that sarcastic tone with me. You kept me up all night, and now I'm going to be late, if you'd be so kind…"

"you're so gracious in the morning, I think I like you better asleep."

"you're not going to make a scene are you?"

"don't even think about it, go on, get dressed."

"I'd love to. Now, would you mind leaving the room so I can have a little privacy, please."

"so all of a sudden you've gotten prudish?"

He pleaded with her to spare him the household drama and was foolhardy enough to finish the sentence with 'or else'

"sometimes 'or else' are two words too many," she shot back. Coldly wishing him a good day, she vanished.

Ichigo looked all around, hesitated for a moment, then called out, "Rukia? I know you're here somewhere. Come on out, this is ridiculous."

As he stood there, in his boxers, he caught the eye of his neighbor across the street, who was watching the scene from his window. Ichigo grabbed a blanket, wrapped it around his waist, and headed for the bathroom, muttering, "I've never been this late before. I'm half naked in the middle of my room, talking to a ghost. Okay buddy, you tell me, what the hell is going on?"

In the bathroom he opened the closet door and asked softly "Rukia, are you there?" again there was no reply, and he was disappointed. He showered at top speed, when he finished, he returned to the bedroom, checked for Rukia in the other closet, and not finding her, put on his suit. Once dressed, he went to the kitchen to search the counter for his keys, but finally found them in his pocket. He hurried from the apartment, stopped in his tracks, turned about, and opened the door again "Rukia, still not there?" after a few seconds silence, he locked the door and took the outside stairs straight to the garage.

He looked for his car. Remembering that he had parked it in the street, he ran back down the hallway and finally reached the sidewalk. Raising his eyes, he saw his neighbor again, staring at him with a puzzled look. He gave him an embarrassed smile, fumbled with the key as he unlocked the car door, sat behind the wheel, and roared away.

When Ichigo reached the office, Uryu was standing in the reception area, clad as always, in blue and white from head to toe. As always his hair was parted in the middle to fall just below his ears and frame his pale face. He pushed up his glasses and nodded disparagingly when he saw Ichigo and, with a wry expression on his face, said "maybe you should take a few days off."

"Eat it. Don't piss me off this morning, Uryu"

"Charming - absolutely charming."

"what is it with everyone this morning, don't you get at me too."

"you've seen Orihime again?"

"No, I haven't seen Orihime, its over with her, and you know it."

"there are only two explanations for the state you're in, Orihime or a new one."

"No, there isn't a new one, now move, I'm late enough already."

"no kidding, after all, its only a quarter of eleven. What's her name?"

"whose?"

"have you seen your face this morning?"

"what's the matter with it?"

"come on, How was it? Tell me."

"I have nothing to tell."

"you and your late-night call, with all that bullshit, who was she?"

Ichigo stared at his partner " look I ate some bad seafood last night, and then I had a nightmare, I got very little sleep. Please, I'm really not in the mood, so move, I'm late."

Uryu moved aside as Ichigo passed him, Uryu patted his shoulder. "I'm your friend aren't I?" Ichigo turned, and Uryu added "you'd tell me if you were in trouble?"

"I slept badly last night, that's all, don't make a thing out of it"

"fine, fine. Lunch meeting is at one, we can go together if you like. I'm coming back to the office afterward."

"No, I'll take my car, I have another meeting this afternoon."

"whatever."

Ichigo entered his office, put his briefcase on the desk, sat down, called his secretary, asked her for a coffee, swiveled his chair around to face the window, leaned backward and tried to think.

A few moments later Momo tapped on the door. She was dressed in a lilac knee length summer dress, with a white cardigan, white sandals and her hair in its usual bun with the white scarf covering it.

She carried a thick folder in one hand, and a cup off coffee with a buttered bran muffin balanced on the edge of the saucer in the other. She set the cup and saucer on a corner of the table and sat in the chair beside the desk "I put milk in it, I imagine its your first of the day."

"thanks." he paused for a second. "uh, Momo, how do I look?"

"you've got a 'haven't had my first coffee yet' look."

"I haven't had my first coffee yet!"

"okay, relax. Take your time over breakfast. You have a bunch of messages, but there's nothing urgent, just these letters to be signed." she paused and eyed him suspiciously, "are you okay?"

"yes a bit tired, that's all."

At that precise moment, Rukia materialized in the room. Narrowly missing the corner of the desk, she disappeared from Ichigo's line of sight, falling on the rug behind his desk. He leapt to his feet.

"did you hurt yourself?"

"no, no, I'm okay," said Rukia

"why would I have hurt myself?" asked Momo.

"No. not you" Ichigo said

Momo glanced around the room. "there aren't that many of us here."

"I was thinking out loud"

"you were thinking out loud that I'd hurt myself?"

"No, I was thinking about someone else, and I said my thoughts out loud, doesn't that ever happen to you?"

Rukia, now sitting with legs crossed on the edge of the table, decided to goad Ichigo a little.

"you didn't have to compare me to nightmare when you were talking to Uryu just now."

"I never called you a nightmare."

"I'm very glad to hear it," said Momo "how many nightmares bring you a cup of coffee in the morning?"

"Momo, I'm not talking to you!"

"then either there's a ghost in the room or else I've gone blind and I'm missing something, which is it?"

"I'm sorry. It's stupid, I'm stupid. I'm exhausted and I'm thinking out loud, my minds a million miles away."

"you've been working too hard Ichigo, you finished the Seireitei restoration and went right into the Las Noches design and moved all in two months. Have you ever heard of burnout? You have to act at the first signs or it can take months to recover."

"Momo, I'm not suffering from burnout. I just had a bad night, that's all."

Rukia broke in, "there you are; bad night, nightmare!"

"stop it, please. I have to concentrate. Just be quiet for a few minutes."

"but I didn't say anything!" Momo exclaimed.

"Momo, please go back to your desk. I have to pull myself together. I'll do some breathing exercises, some relaxation exercises, and I'll be fine."

"relaxation exercises? You're scaring me Ichigo, you really are."

"there's no reason to be scared, I'm fine, I assure you. Now, just leave me alone - and hold all my calls, I just need a bit of peace and quiet and solitude."

Momo reluctantly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Alone in his office, Ichigo stared at Rukia "you've got to cut the _Bewitched_ act, Rukia, you're putting me in an impossible position."

"I wanted to apologize for this morning. I shouldn't have gone off in a huff like that. I know how hard it is for you to deal with all this."

"I'm sorry, I was the one in a lousy mood. Its just been a lot to take in in a very short time."

"let's not spend the morning trading apologies, I just wanted to talk to you."

Just then Uryu opened the door and came into the office. "could I have a word with you?"

"you are already, aren't you?"

"I've just spoken with Momo, Ichigo what's wrong, what's going on with you?"

"nothing, just because I'm tired and arrived late for once doesn't mean I'm having a nervous breakdown."

"I didn't say you were."

"no, but that's what Momo suggested. Apparently I look like a zombie this morning."

"putting it mildly. Jesus, you really look like you had a rough night."

"it was a bit wild," Ichigo admitted, trying to decide how much to tell Uryu.

"I knew it! I knew there must be a woman involved in all this."

Ichigo nodded, raising his eyebrows.

"Aha! You see, you cant keep anything from me. I was sure! Anyone I know?"

"no, no way."

"tell me about her, who is she? When do I get to meet her?"

"it'll be tricky, Uryu. I know this sounds sort of strange, but she's kind of a ghost. My apartment is haunted. I found out by accident last night. She was living in my bathroom closet. I spent the night with her, but it was all very innocent. She's pretty - as ghosts go - not - " Ichigo hunched his shoulders, imitating a monster. "really, she's very pretty for someone who's come back from the dead, and in fact she hasn't really returned from the dead. She's in a different category because she hasn't completely died. Are things clearer now?"

Uryu looked sympathetically at his partner.

"Right. Look Ichigo, I think you need to see a doctor right away."

"stop it Uryu, I assure you I'm absolutely fine."

Ichigo turned to Rukia "you see this isn't going to be easy."

"what not going to be easy?" asked Uryu

"I wasn't talking to you."

"you were talking to the ghost? Is it here in the room?"

Ichigo reminded him that "it" was a she, adding that she was sitting next to Ichigo on the edge of the table. Uryu looked doubtfully at him and slowly ran the palm of his hand across his partners desk "listen, I know I sometimes go a bit far with my practical jokes, but this time, Ichigo, you're going completely overboard. You're scaring me, you cant see yourself, but you look as if you're at the end of your rope this morning."

"I'm tired, I barely slept, I'm sure I look awful, but inside I'm in great shape. I promise you, everything's just fine."

"you're in great shape inside? Well, the front of you seems in pretty bad shape; what about the sides?"

"Uryu, let me get on with my work, you're my friend, not my therapist. I mean, I don't even have a therapist."

Uryu asked him not to come to their one o'clock signature meeting on the Bounto deal. If he did, Uryu warned Ichigo, he might loose them the contract. "I don't believe you realize the state you're in. You're sort of frightening."

Irritated, Ichigo rose, picked up his briefcase, and walked out the door.

"okay, I'm scary. I look crazy. Fine, I'll go home. Get out of my way Uryu. Come on Rukia, we're out of here!"

"brilliant, Ichigo. You're a genius. That ghost number is a real whopper."

"its not a number Uryu, you're too - what's the word? - conventional to understand what I'm experiencing. But you'll notice that I don't hold it against you. I've come along way since last night."

"listen to yourself. Its mind-blowing!"

"yeah, so you've already said. Listen, don't worry about a thing. Its good that you're offering to handle the meeting by yourself. I really didn't get much sleep, so I'm going to get some rest, thank you very much. I'll be back tomorrow, and everything will be much better."

Uryu suggested that Ichigo take a few days off, at least until the end of the week. Moving was always stressful. Uryu would be happy to help Ichigo over the weekend, if he needed anything at all. Ichigo thanked Uryu with a tinge of sarcasm, then left the room and ran down the stairs. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, he looked around for Rukia.

"are you there?"

Rukia appeared, sitting on the hood of his car.

"I'm creating a whole load of problems for you. I'm really sorry."

"no, don't be. The fact is, I haven't done this for ages."

"done what?"

"skipped work. Just think, an entire day of playing hooky!"

Standing at the window, brow creased, Uryu watched his partner talk to himself in the street, open the passenger door for no reason and then close it again, walk around the car, and climb in behind the wheel, Uryu didn't know what to do.

* * *

well its slowly progressing and just thought i'd use the bleach places and groups as examples :) please review if you likey


	6. Chapter 6

standard disclaimers apply

glon morski - dont worry to much about ichigo being made to look crazy, he's a strong character both in and out of this story, so what people think of him doesnt really faze him, and thats why i felt this story was made for him and rukia, but thank you so much for continuing to stick with my story and reviewing :)

note: im glad some of you recognise the storyline from the reese witherspoon movie "just like heaven" but this wont follow it exactly but it runs along the same lines :)

and with that i hope you enjoy, the next update will have to be in the weekend as i've got a pretty full plate at work :)

* * *

Chapter 6

Sitting in the drivers seat, Ichigo put his hands on the wheel and sighed. He looked at Rukia and smiled saying nothing.

A bit embarrassed, she returned his smile. "its frustrating having someone think you're crazy, isn't it? At least he didn't call you a whore!"

"why didn't he get it?" Ichigo said facetiously, "wasn't my explanation clear?"

"clear as crystal. What now?"

"breakfast, then you can tell me everything, in detail"

From his office window, Uryu continued to watch his friend, parked below on the other side of the street. When he saw him talking to himself in the car, chatting with an invisible and imaginary character, he decided to call him on his cell phone. When Ichigo answered, Uryu asked him not to start the car, he would be right down, he had to talk to him.

"what about?" asked Ichigo.

"that's why I'm coming down!"

Uryu ran down the stairs, crossed the street, opened the drivers door, and almost sat on his best friends lap.

"move over!"

"get in on the other side, for fuck's sake!"

"do you mind if I do the driving?"

"I don't get it. Are we talking or going for a ride?"

"both. Come on, change seats!"

Pushing Ichigo over, Uryu settled behind the wheel, turned the key, and the car moved away from the curb. At the first intersection he braked hard.

"first things first; is your ghost with us in the car right now?"

"yes, she moved into the backseat, after your cavalier entrance."

Uryu opened his door, got out, tilted his seat forward, and said to Ichigo, "do me a favor. Ask Casper to get out of the car and leave us alone for a while. I have to have a private talk with you. You can catch up with each other at your place."

Rukia reappeared outside the passenger window. "pick me up at North Point. I'll be taking a walk there. You know, if its too complicated, you don't need to tell him the truth."

"he's my friend and my partner, I cant lie to him."

"go ahead, discuss me with your glove compartment," said Uryu. "Why, just last night I opened the refrigerator, saw a light inside, and so I went in and talked about you with the butter and a head of lettuce for a good half hour."

"I'm not discussing you with the glove compartment, I'm talking with her."

"well then, please ask Lady Casper to go iron her sheet so that you and I can talk in peace."

Rukia vanished.

"did it leave?" Uryu asked a little anxiously

"its _she,_ not it! Yes, she's gone. You're so rude. Now, what's up with you?"

"what's up with _me_?" repeated Uryu, making a face. He turned the engine back on and headed down South Street. "I just wanted to be alone so I could talk about some personal matters with you."

"like what?"

"the delayed reactions that sometimes set in after a breakup."

Uryu launched into a long tirade. Orihime wasn't right for Ichigo. In his view, she had hurt Ichigo badly, and _she wasn't worth it_. When all was said and done, the woman was _emotionally handicapped_ and _didn't know how to be happy_. Was she honestly worth what Ichigo had gone through since their separation?

"you're getting on my nerves, Uryu! You didn't come racing downstairs and we're not driving across town because all of a sudden you want to discuss Orihime! I haven's seen her and we haven't talked on the phone since the time I told you about a week ago. If that's what's worrying you, it doesn't warrant us driving to Tokyo - because in case you haven't noticed, we're already in South Market. So what do you want, and why have we driven halfway across town?"

Uryu turned left and drove the car into the parking area of a big four-story building with a white-tiled façade.

"Uryu, I know it'll seem crazy to you, but I really have met a ghost."

"Ichigo, I know it'll seem crazy to you, but I really am taking you for a medical checkup."

Ichigo, who had been looking at his friend, swiftly turned his head to stare at the name on the front of the building. "you're taking me to this clinic? Seriously? You don't believe me?"

"of course I believe you! And I'll believe you even more when you've seen a doctor and had some tests."

"you want me to have medical tests?"

"listen to me, you big lug! If I arrive at the office one day looking like someone stuck on an escalator for a month, and then I leave in a rage even though my scowl is just a front, and then you see me from your window opening my car door for a nonexistent passenger, and, not content with that, continuing to talk and wave my hands around inside my car as if I'm talking to someone, but there's no one, really no one, and all I can offer you by way of explanation is that I've just me a ghost, I hope you'll be as concerned for me as I am for you right now."

Ichigo managed a smile. "when I met her in my closet, I thought it was one of your jokes."

"come on, follow me, we're going to put my mind at rest now."

Ichigo let himself be dragged by the arm to the clinic reception area. The receptionist watched them as Uryu sat Ichigo on a chair and told him not to move. Uryu was treating Ichigo the way you treat an unruly child you don't want to let out of your sight.

Then Uryu walked to the desk and said to the young woman, "this is an emergency!"

"What kind of emergency?" she asked, her voice distinctly casual in contrast to Uryu's impatient tone.

"the kind sitting in the chair, the one over there."

"no, I'm asking the nature of the emergency."

"cranial shock."

"how did it happen?"

"Love is blind, and repeated blows on the head with a long white cane seem to have rattled his brain."

She found the answer funny, without being really certain she'd understood it.

"we need to see Dr. Unohana," Uryu insisted

"I'm sorry but Dr Unohana is in clinic at the hospital today. I'll be happy to make you an appointment for tomorrow."

Ichigo called Uryu aside, "listen Uryu, this is ridiculous. I'm fine, I assure you there's nothing physically wrong with me. I'm just stressed out. You're right, I need to take some time off, walk along the beach, smell the flowers. I'll take the week off. Theres nothing pressing, now that I've finished the Las Noches design. Trust me buddy, really I'm okay. I just need some rest."

Uryu looked at Ichigo suspiciously. "you know I care about you man, I'm worried about you. Promise me you'll call me tomorrow and we can get out of here."

"I promise. Now I'll take you back to the office."

Reluctantly Uryu agreed "but we need to talk about this later. I better go straight to the meeting; I'll take a cab. I'll call you tonight."

Uryu left him alone in the car. Ichigo drove quickly toward North Point. He had to admit, deep inside, he was beginning to like this story, it's heroine, and the situations it was bound to provoke.

The Sea-View Restaurant sat perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It's dining area was almost full, and two TV screens over the bar allowed patrons to watch two different games at once. The bets were rolling. Ichigo and Rukia sat behind a glass bay window.

The waitress, a young, obviously wanna-be actress, greeted him and asked if he'd like something to drink. He was about to order a Virgin Mary when he was startled by a tickling sensation. Suddenly, Rukia was stroking his leg with her bare foot, eyes full of mischief, a triumphant smile on her face. Responding in kind, he grabbed her ankle and ran his hand up the length of her leg.

"I can feel you too!"

"I wanted to be sure."

"you are now."

The waitress looked dubiously at him. "what can you feel?"

"nothing, I don't feel anything."

"you just said 'I can feel you too.'"

He turned to Rukia, now flashing a brilliant smile. "I could get myself locked up for this."

"maybe that's not such a bad idea," said the waitress, turning on her heel.

"hey, can you take my order?" he yelled after her.

"I'll send over Yumichika. We'll see if you can feel him too."

Yumichika, if anything more feminine than his colleague, appeared a few minutes later. Ichigo ordered scrambled eggs with salmon, paused a second, and opted for a _Bloody_ Mary. This time he waited for the waiter to leave before he spoke to Rukia. "Now, tell me everything again, from the beginning."

Yumichika halted in the middle of the room, looking askance as his customer started talking to the empty seat across from him. Rukia cut Ichigo off mid sentence to ask if he had his cell phone with him. Not grasping her intent, he nodded.

"take it out and pretend to be speaking into it; otherwise they really will lock you up."

Ichigo looked around and realized that people at several tables had stopped eating and were staring at him, disconcerted by this person chatting alone. He grabbed his phone, punched in a number, and said, "Hello!" very loud. People went on staring at him for a few seconds. Once everything seemed more or less normal, they resumed their meals. He asked his question again into the mouthpiece.

"when this began," she told him, "when I realized I could move around in space, transparency was rather fun. It gave me a feeling of absolute freedom. No more worries about how to dress or how to wear my hair, or how my face or figure appeared: nobody looked at me anymore. No more obligations, no more routine, and no more waiting in line. And your favourite part," she said with a playful smile, "I didn't have to respect anyone's privacy: I could eavesdrop on conversations, see the invisible, hear the inaudible, go where I had no right to be."

Yumichika arrived with the meal, set it before Ichigo, all the while looking at him as if he were about to spring up and do something loony. Ichigo ate with one hand, phone pressed to his ear with his other as he listened.

Everything, or almost everything, was possible. She could visit museums and boutiques when they were closed, enter a movie theatre without paying, sleep in palaces, go for a spin in a fighter plane, observe the most advanced surgery, secretly visit research labs. Ichigo, with his ear glued to his cell phone, was curious to know whether she had tried at least one of those experiences.

"No, excepts for movies. I suffer from Vertigo, I hate planes and I don't yet know how to transport myself long distances. As for sleeping in palaces, yesterday was the first time I've slept since this happened."

She told him with great earnestness that it was no fun at all being a ghost. In fact, she was miserable. Everything was within her reach but impossible to grasp. She missed her friends, her work, the routine of her life. When her distraught friends visited her in the hospital, she could do nothing to reassure them. And her brother was a constant worry. He was in agony, sitting for hours everyday by his motionless sister's side, and Rukia couldn't even comfort him. "I no longer exist. I can see him and hear him, but I cant touch him, and that hurts more than it helps. Maybe that's what purgatory is, everlasting loneliness. I really am in limbo, neither dead nor truly alive."

"did you see a white light or anything, like they say in the near-death books?"

"No, none of that. I just woke up suddenly in the hospital."

"do you believe in God?"

"No, I've never been religious. But in my current situation you start to question all your old beliefs. I never believed in ghosts either."

"neither do I," he said

"you don't believe in ghosts?"

"you're not really a ghost."

"I'm not?"

"you're not dead Rukia. You're heart is beating in one place and your spirit is alive somewhere else. They've temporarily separated, amazing as it seems. We have to find out why, then try to bring them back together."

This was all way beyond his sphere of comprehension, but he did not intend to leave it at that. His phone still pressed to his ear, he told her he wanted to learn more. They had to find a way to get her back into her body; otherwise she would never come out of her coma. The two things had to be linked, he added.

"I believe you've made a breakthrough in your research, Doctor!"

He ignored her sarcasm and suggested they go home and search the web. He wanted to read every article pertaining to coma: scientific studies, medical reports, bibliographies, stories, eyewitness accounts. He was particularly interested in people who had returned after being in a long-term coma. Hell, he was even ready to read all those life-beyond-death books. Talk to all those types he had only yesterday considered completely wacko. "we have to track them down and question them. What they tell us could be very important."

"why are you doing this?" she was looking at him skeptically.

"because you sure cant."

"answer my question. Do you realize the implications of what you're proposing, how long it could take you? You have your career, your own obligations."

"first you want my help, then you don't. You're a woman of contradictions."

"no, I simply see things more clearly now. Didn't you notice that people were looking at you like you were crazy because you were alone at this table talking to yourself? Do you realize that next time you come to this restaurant they'll tell you they're full?"

"this city has more than a thousand restaurants. There are tons of them left."

"Ichigo, you're very kind, but I'm afraid you're being unrealistic."

"I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but you're hardly in a position to accuse someone else of being unreal."

"don't play with my words…or with me. You'll never be able to figure this out. The truth is you simply wont have time."

"I hate doing this in a restaurant, but you give me no choice. Excuse me a second."

Ichigo pretended to hang up, looked into her eyes, picked up the phone again and called his partner's number. He thanked Uryu for his concern, for trying to help, for the time he had spent with him that morning. He had given it a lot of thought and concluded that Uryu was right. He was indeed on the brink of having a nervous breakdown brought on by overwork, and it was best for the firm and for him if he took more than a week off. He was thinking more like a month. As Momo had pointed out, he had a lull right now.

Uryu could finalize the Las Noches plan which was the only one Ichigo had pending. And he'd check in every couple of days. He gave Uryu some specific information about other bids they had in and told him Momo was at his disposal. He was to tired to go away anywhere. He would be at home and could be reached on the phone.

"there," he said as he clicked off the phone. "I'm now free of all professional obligations, and I suggest we begin our research at once."

"why have you changed so much since last night? Why are you suddenly willing to risk everything to help me? I don't understand."

"Now, I'm going to tell you a story, and then you'll understand. One evening my mother had a dinner party. I couldn't have been more than ten. One of the guests was a famous eye surgeon. He seemed strangely quiet and preoccupied, which was out of character. My mother asked him what was wrong."

Two weeks before, he had operated on a little girl blind since birth. She did not know what she looked like, had no concept of the sky, could not imagine colors, had never even seen her own mothers face. The outside world was unknown to her, no external image had ever entered her brain. She could only guess what things looked like by the shapes and contours she felt with her hands.

The doctor gambled everything on an intricate and risky operation, an "impossible" operation. Two weeks later, which happened to be the morning of the dinner party, it was time to remove the bandages. He was alone with the little girl in the hospital room.

"you'll start to see things before I'm through taking off these dressings. Are you ready?"

"what am I going to see?" she asked.

"I've already told you, you'll see light."

"but what's light?"

"its life…I cant describe it, but wait a moment."

And a few seconds later, just as he had promised, the light of day entered her eyes. For the first time the millions of cells in her retinas were stimulated by light, triggering a wonderfully complex chemical reaction that would codify the images imprinted upon them and instantaneously transmit them to the two optic nerves, just roused from dormancy and able to pass this enormous volume of information to the brain.

The little girl took the doctors hand and said, "wait, I'm scared." he stopped removing the dressings, took her in his arms, and told her all over again what would happen when he was through. Hundreds of new items of information to absorb, understand and compare with everything her imagination had constructed. Then he resumed the removal of the bandages.

When she opened her eyes, she looked first at her hands; she moved them up and down and sideways as though they were moving puppets. She tipped her head to one side, smiled, laughed, wept too and could not tear her eyes away from her ten fingers. Perhaps she concentrated on her hands because everything around her was appearing all at the same time. It was too much too soon, and she was terrified. Then she directed her gaze at her rag doll, which had kept her company night and day in total darkness.

The door opened at the far end of the big room, and her mother came in without saying a word. The little girl raised her head and looked. She had never seen her mother before! And yet, the child's face changed and she opened her arms wide and without a moments hesitation called this "stranger" Mummy.

"when the doctor finished telling his story," continued Ichigo, "I realized that for the rest of his life he would possess a tremendous strength: he had done something truly important. I remember promising myself right there, if such an opportunity ever came to me, I would take it. So lets just say that you're my opportunity, the one I've been waiting for, for more than twenty years. And what I'm doing for you is in memory of that doctor."

Rukia was silent. She simply smiled at Ichigo and reached across the table and took both his hands in hers.

Yumichika arrived with the check, watching Ichigo warily. Ichigo popped his eyes wide open, made a frightening face, stuck his tongue out, and sprang to his feet. Yumichika took a step back.

"I expected better of you Yumichika, I'm very disappointed. Come Rukia, this place is unworthy of us."

In the car on the way back to the apartment, Ichigo outlined the methods he intended to use in his investigation. They exchanged ideas and agreed on a course of action.

* * *

just a note i use "mummy" as in new zealand thats how we say it and spell it, so no hate on that one and i really have nothing against Orihime, this is just for story purposes :)

so please review, all and any kinds wanted.


	7. Chapter 7

standard disclaimers apply

heyaw, i been pretty busy at work so i wont get to update as often as i like, but i'll definitely use my weekend productively to get this story up here for you to enjoy, so having said that....enjoy XD

* * *

Chapter 7

Back at home, Ichigo sat down at his worktable. He turned on his computer and logged on to the internet. The information super highway gave him instant access to hundreds of databases on the subject he wanted to explore. He clicked on a search engine, then simply typed the word _coma_ in the appropriate box. His search yielded several sites containing articles, first person stories, and analyses. There was even a news group with person-to-person exchanges on the subject. Rukia settled onto the corner of the desk so she could read everything along with him.

Their first step was to link up to the hospitals web page, where they selected the heading "Neuropathology and Cerebral Traumatology." This led them to a recent article on cranial trauma by a Doctor Mayuri. In it he explained the classification of the different degrees of consciousness, according to the Glasgow Scale. A series of three digits indicated the degree to which patients reacted to visual, auditory and sensory stimuli. The digits corresponding to Rukia's case were 1.1.2, which added up to a class four coma, otherwise known as an "irreversible" coma. Ichigo then accessed another site, containing a statistical analysis of patient outcomes in each class of coma. No one had ever returned from a voyage in "fourth class."

A number of diagrams, cross-sections of nerves, drawings, case histories, treatment protocols and bibliographical sources were downloaded into Ichigo's computer, then printed. All told, nearly seven hundred pages of information were sorted and classified according to topic.

Ichigo ordered a pizza and two beers and announced there was nothing left to do but read. Again, Rukia asked him why he was doing all this. He answered, "out of gratitude to someone who has given me a great deal in very little time, the most important thing of all being a renewed sense of excitement and wonder." then he returned to his reading, making margin notes beside passages he didn't understand, which was almost all of them.

As they went along, Rukia explained the terminology and various medical facts and theories to him.

They spent two days and two nights trying to understand and come up with a key to the enigma confronting them.

Two days and two nights to conclude that, in spite of the advances of modern medicine, the coma remained a mystery, a dark zone in which the body lived divorced from the mind that animated it and gave it soul. It would take more years than they had , and many more researchers, to unlock the mystery. Exhausted, eyes reddened, Ichigo fell asleep on the floor.

Rukia, sitting at the architect's table, pored over the diagrams, her fingertips following the lines of arrows. To her great surprise, she noted the paper undulated slightly under her moving finger.

Then she curled up on the carpet beside Ichigo and ran her hand along his forearm and smiled as she witnessed the hair moved by the static electricity. She decided to stay close to him during the long night, soaking in his peace, his strength, her mind still racing.

When Ichigo awoke seven hours later, Rukia was seated at his worktable. He rubbed his eyes and gave her a smile she instantly returned.

"you'd have been more comfortable in your bed, but you were sleeping so soundly I didn't dare wake you."

"did you stay here all night?"

"yes. You know, I like being here with you. It makes me feel more alive."

Ichigo was desperate for some coffee and then he'd get right back to work, but she cut him short.

"I've given it a lot of thought," she said, and then explained that she was deeply touched by his loyalty, but it was a waste of time. He was not a doctor, and she was only a resident, and unaided they had no hope of solving the enigma of the coma.

"well do you have any other ideas?"

"I think you should drink your coffee, take a nice shower, and then come for a stroll with me. You cant live shut away like a hermit in your apartment just because your houseguest is a ghost."

He agreed about the coffee, but he wished she would cut out the "ghost" stuff. She looked like everything you could think of except a ghost. She wanted to know what he meant by "everything," but he refused to be drawn in. "if I say nice things, you'll take advantage of me."

Rukia raised her eyebrows questioningly, "what do you mean by 'nice things'?" he told her to forget what he had said, but she wouldn't give in. she placed her hands on her hips, planted herself in front of him, and repeated her question.

"I said forget it Rukia, all I meant is that you're no specter."

"what am I then?"

"a woman, a very beautiful woman. Now I'm taking a shower."

He left the room without looking back. He couldn't deny it, he truly enjoyed her company. She was smart, and funny, and full of life. He knew he was getting in way, way over his head, but he let the shower pound away his doubts and emerged, half an hour later, in jeans and a heavy cashmere sweater. He announced he felt like eating a good steak.

"it's only ten in the morning," Rukia pointed out.

"but in New York its lunchtime, and in London its already time for dinner."

"Yes, but we're not in New York or London."

"that won't change the way my steak tastes."

"I don't know Ichigo, I think it may be time for you to get back to your real life. You're lucky to have one, and I, of all people, know you should live it to the full. You cant just go on dropping everything like this. I can still visit you after work."

"don't get dramatic on me Rukia, I'm simply taking a few days off, doing something I want to do."

But she insisted he was embarking on a dangerous and ultimately pointless course.

He turned on her angrily. "Great! Just great to hear a doctor talk that way. I thought that there was no such thing as predestined outcome, that anything is possible. Why do I have a greater faith than you?"

Precisely because she was a doctor, she said, she believed she saw things clearly, because she saw that they were wasting their time, his time. "you shouldn't get attached to me, I have nothing to offer you, nothing to share, nothing to give! I cant even make you a cup of coffee!"

"Shit. If you cant make me a cup of coffee, then there's really no hope at all for the future." Ichigo paused. "I'm not doing this only for you Rukia. I'm doing it for me too. I didn't ask to find you in my closet, only there you were! And I'm the only one who can help you, and it's the right thing to do. That's life, that's just how things are. No one but me can hear you or see you or talk to you. I cant abandon you now."

She was right, he went on, to say that what they were doing was fraught with risk. "For both of us," he said. "For you, because maybe we are really wasting our time, maybe there really is nothing we can do to help you get back into your body. And I'll admit, I'm turning my life upside a bit - but that's just my point - that's life." he had no choice. She was in a difficult situation and he was taking care of her: "that's what people do in a civilized world, never mind the risks involved."

As he saw it, giving a dollar to a homeless man outside the supermarket was easy; it cost you nothing. "its when you give something you have very little of that you truly give. Look I know you don't really know that much about me, but you must believe that I feel right about what I'm doing - believe me the way I believed you."

"you have to allow me to help you," he continued. "in fact your willingness to accept my help is about all you still possess of real life. If you think I'm doing this without taking the time to really think it through, you're absolutely right. It would take me the rest of my life to think this through. Because its while you're thinking, while you're sweating things out, while you're weighing the pros and cons, that life goes on - passes you by while you're doing nothing. I don't know how but we're going to get you out of this. If you were meant to die, you'd already be dead. I'm just here to give you a hand."

He concluded by asking her to accept what he was doing, if not for herself then at least for all the people she'd be taking care of in a few years time.

"you could have been a lawyer," Rukia said, shaking her head.

"I should have been a doctor."

"why didn't you become one?"

"because my mom died too early."

"how old were you?"

"much too young," he said quietly, "lets drop the subject, okay?"

"it might help to talk about it…."

He pointed out that she was a physician, not a psychiatrist. He didn't want to talk about his mother's death because it was too painful to dwell on it.

"the past is the past, end of story." he paused. " so, I'm not a doctor; instead I run an architectural firm. I like what I do and the people I work with." Rukia waited for him to continue. "look I'm still very hungry, so even if this isn't London, and I cant get a steak, I'm still going to make myself eggs and bacon."

She followed him into the kitchen

"who took care of you after your mother died?"

"you don't take no for an answer, do you?"

"not a chance. I want to know what happened in your life to make you capable of this."

"capable of what?"

"of dropping everything to take care of the shadow of a woman you don't know - an you don't even have a shot of getting in my pants - since I don't even have any. So I'm curious."

"listen, I'm not hiding anything, okay? I simply have a past that couldn't be more concrete or more complete - because it's the past, its over."

"so I have no right to get to know you?"

"of course you have the right but what you're asking about right now is my past, its not me."

"You're right. You're the only person whose past has absolutely no influence whatsoever on who you are." she said.

"Now who should have been the lawyer!"

"Yes, but I'm a doctor."

Without a word, Ichigo rose and took his plate to the kitchen. Rukia stayed in the living room, quietly taking in what he'd told her. In a few minutes, Ichigo returned to his desk.

"have you loved many women?" she asked him softly, without looking up.

"who counts when you're in love!"

"and have there been many who 'counted'?"

He told her that he had had three loves: one as a teenager, one as a young man, and one as a "not-so-young man." that struck her as a fair answer, but she at once wanted to know why it hadn't worked out with Orihime. He thought it was because he was too complete. "you mean possessive?" she asked.

"No, I mean complete. My mother filled me with stories about ideal love….Having such ideals is a heavy burden at times."

"Why?"

"I set my standards much too high."

"for your women?"

"No, for myself."

She asked him to elaborate, but he refused: he did not want to seem "old-fashioned and ridiculous." she told him to try anyway. Knowing he had no chance of deflecting her from the subject, he said "recognizing happiness when it's at your feet, having the will and courage to reach down and take it in your arms….and to hold on to it. that's the hearts intelligence. Intelligence minus heart is just logic - which doesn't amount to much."

"so Orihime left you!"

Ichigo did not reply.

"and you haven't quite healed?"

"oh, I've healed all right; perhaps the problem was I was never sick."

"you couldn't love her?"

"everyone is scared that by sharing everyday life with someone, they're going to get bored and caught up in routines, but I don't believe that has to be inevitable."

"what do you believe then?"

"I believe that everyday life with someone is the ground in which true intimacy grows. Far from creating a rut, I believe it gives you a shot at reinventing life, the whole spectrum, from the sublime to the ridiculous." for him there was nothing more complete than time-tested love, a couple journeying together and welcoming the gradual evolution of passion into tenderness. But how could you ever know what that was like if you kept aspiring to an absolute? As he saw it, there was nothing wrong with keeping some of the child in yourself alive, your share of youthful dreams.

"is this something you know from experience?"

"Not really. I wish!" he hesitated. "what about you? Have you ever been in love?"

"do you know many people who haven't been in love? You want to know if I love anyone? No; well, yes and no."

"who was he?"

"he still is: thirty-eight, movie director, good looking, hard to pin down, a bit selfish, the ideal man…."

"and so?"

"it was thousands of light-years away from the sort of love you're talking about."

"tell me about him."

She had shared four years of her life with Kaien Shiba, four years of a stormy on-again, off-again drama in which the actors tore one another to pieces then glued themselves back again time after time, as if histrionics added another dimension to life. She said it was a selfish relationship kept alive mostly by physical passion.

"are you very physical?"

She found the question rather funny, under the circumstances.

"you don't have to answer."

"and I don't intend to! Anyway, he broke it off six months before the accident. Good for him. At least he didn't feel any sense of obligation toward me today."

"do you miss him?"

"I missed him when we first broke up."

Some people might lose their ideals as they age, but with Rukia it was the opposite. The older she got, the more idealistic she became.

"I think that couples shouldn't even contemplate living together unless they are truly ready to give. Unless you have that degree of commitment, you're only fooling yourself if you think your relationship has meaning. Happiness is not just there for the taking. You're either a giver or a receiver. I give before I receive, but I'm definitely done with selfish people, complicated people and people who are too stingy to give themselves a chance to fulfill their hopes and dreams." there comes a time, she said, when we have to take honest stock of ourselves and identify what it is we really want out of life.

Ichigo though she was taking things much too seriously. "I've been attracted to the opposite of my ideal man for too long. Men at the opposite extreme from what would make me happy, that's all." she replied. Ichigo took Rukia's hand. "come on, lets get some fresh air."

They drove in silence all the way to Ocean Beach, Ichigo lost in his thoughts, Rukia in hers. It had been a long morning.

When they parked, Ichigo went around and opened the door for Rukia. He bowed as she got out of the car and took her hand. "I like being by the water," he said to break the silence.

Rukia did not answer at once; she was gazing at the horizon. She put her hand on Ichigo's arm.

"you're not like other men."

"is it my two noses that bother you?"

"Nothing bothers me. But you're different from the other men I've known."

"really? In what way?"

"you're less obvious."

"is that a fault?"

"No, but its unusual. Nothing seems to be a problem for you."

"I don't mind problems, because I like finding solutions."

"there's more to it than that."

"here she is again, my PPS!"

"what's a PPS?"

"my personal portable shrink."

"I have nothing to hide Rukia, no dark side, no twilight zone, no secrets. I am who I am, and believe me, my shortcomings are many." he was glad he had never felt bound by conformity. Perhaps that was what she sensed. "I'm not part of any system, I've always fought that. I see the people I like, I go where I want, I read a book because it interests me and not because its on the best-seller list. My whole life has been that way. I don't burden myself with overanalyzing everything."

The conversation resumed after they had gone inside to the welcome warmth of a hotel. Ichigo was drinking cappuccino and munching on cookies.

"I love this place." he said, his eyes scanning the room.

On a couch sat a small boy of seven or eight, curled up in his mothers arms. She held a big open book and was describing the pictures on each page. Her left index finger stroked the child's cheek slowly and tenderly. His two dimples, like tiny suns, gave him a radiant smile. Ichigo watched them for a long time.

"what are you looking at?" asked Rukia.

"that kid over there. Look at his face, he's deep in his own world."

"does that bring back memories?"

He merely smiled.

"you and your mother must have been very close."

"the most amazing thing about the day my mother left was that all the buildings were still there, the streets were full of cars whose wheels went on rolling, and pedestrians went on walking apparently unaware that my own world had just vanished. When I was in my mothers arms, nothing could bother me, not the school bullies who had a problem with my hair, not Ochi-sensei yelling at me for not finishing my homework, not the rancid smell of the cafeteria. I'll tell you why I'm 'less obvious,' as you call it. My mother taught me to focus on what's essential, and not get caught up in the rest."

"I hope Karakura is listening on my behalf; my 'essential' is still ahead of me."

"that's why its 'essential' for us not to give up." he rose. "c'mon, lets go home and get back to work."

Ichigo paid the check and they walked to the parking lot. Before he got back in the car, Rukia kissed him on the cheek. "thanks for everything," she said. Ichigo smiled and blushed.

* * *

next chapter, rukia finds out there gonna pull her plug eep

so stay tuned peeps and review, peace :)


	8. Chapter 8

standard disclaimers apply

woohoo two chapters in one day, i'm on a roll and with that being said the next update wont be till the next weekend, but please enjoy what i've written so far and thanks for sticking with this, i promise it gets more exciting.

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Chapter 8

Ichigo spent most of the next two weeks in the city library, an imposing turn-of-the-century building in the neoclassical style. There were dozens of reading room with lofty vaulted ceilings. The medical books were kept in room 27. Ichigo sat in row 48, the one closest to the neurology section. There he scanned thousands of pages on coma, unconsciousness, and cranial trauma. Although the texts gave him a clearer understanding of Rukia's problem, they brought him no closer to finding out how to help her get back in her body. After his reading, he spent a day e-mailing eminent professors of medicine and well-known research doctors, describing his dilemma, pretending he was working on a novel. Some of them answered, perhaps intrigued by the purpose of his research. They all agreed - the situation he described was medically impossible, and if it ever were possible, he would need a shaman or a priest or a psychic, rather than a scientist, to solve his problem.

Each afternoon he called Uryu to keep up with details at the office and to reassure him that he hadn't yet had a nervous breakdown or a massive stroke. He was learning a lot about himself, and about ghosts, he told Uryu, with a chuckle.

Uryu seemed to take these reassurances at face value. "just do what you need to do buddy, I'm holding down the fort at this end. But I miss you. Let me know when you want to get together."

Each evening Ichigo returned to find Rukia waiting for him. He'd make himself dinner and tell her about the days research, trying to put the most positive spin on it he could.

Rukia was amazed by how quickly he had acquired a medical vocabulary, but to what purpose? "I'm afraid we're getting nowhere, Ichigo," she said when he returned on the fourth night.

"I've got another idea, though," he reassured her. "from the brain of no less than your colleague the eminent Dr Ukitake. 'Look to the mystic,' he told me, 'that's your hope.'"

"oh spare me," Rukia moaned. "Ichigo, you're getting desperate. You cant believe you can find anything there."

Arguments and counterarguments ensued, deep into the night and past the point of exhaustion. Finally Ichigo retreated to his bedroom.

Rukia listened to the lonely night sounds, watching the hours click by, the darkness ever so gradually giving way to dawn. She worried all night, thinking about Ichigo. She couldn't go on letting him pursue this wild-goose chase - especially since the goose had just become quite a bit wilder. But by the next morning, when she heard Ichigo stirring in the bedroom, she realized she wouldn't try to stop him in paranormal researches. This was about something beyond medicine, or it had become about something beyond that. It was about life, and love, and the meaning of both. And even a skeptical scientist such as herself knew that the metaphysical, spiritual branches of knowledge, although she still had trouble calling it that, were better at dealing with those questions.

As Ichigo ate his breakfast that day, he outlined for her the new track he would follow during the coming day's research. "let me come with you," she said. "let me read over your shoulder. If you're going into this sort of inquiry, I think I better be there with you."

He refused to let her come with him. "your presence would distract me," he said hiding a blush. "besides I think its time for you to spend more of your days at the hospital. Try a bit harder to get into your body." he stopped, realizing he'd made an awkward pun. "well you know what I mean. Maybe if you concentrate more, focus bone by bone, muscle by muscle, tendon by tendon - you know, the way they do in yoga classes - maybe you can bring it back. In the meantime I'll go on the treasure hunt and see if I can find some arcane key to your reunion with your body."

after days of reading just about every quack on the shelves who had something to say about astral projection or life after death, Ichigo decided they needed a change of pace. A smile formed on his lips as he abruptly swung into Queen Street and stopped at a gourmet supermarket. He hadn't found an answer, he had nothing to be joyous about, yet he had the urge to celebrate. Even in the face of this impossible, ridiculous situation, he felt light, energized. Preposterous as it seemed, Rukia was real to him, realer than any other woman he'd ever known. And if he was mad, crazy, off his rocker, so be it. But tonight he would go home decorate the table with candles and roses, flood the apartment with Barry White music, and ask Rukia to dance.

The Park glowed with a splendid sunset as he parked the car. He skipped up the stairs, performed a balancing act to get the key in the lock, and went inside, arms loaded with packages. He pushed the door shut with his foot and set the bags down on the kitchen counter.

Rukia was sitting on the window seat in the living room, contemplating the view. She did not rise to greet him, as she usually did, or even turn around to look at him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked as he walked over to her. As he reached down to put a hand on her shoulder, she suddenly disappeared. Ichigo heard her grumbling from the bedroom. "Jesus, I cant even slam a door!"

"did something happen?" he called after her.

"Leave me alone!"

Ichigo took off his coat and went to he bedroom. When he opened the door, he saw Rukia leaning against the window, her head in her hands. Her shoulders shook as if she were sobbing.

"are you crying?"

"I have no tears, how can I cry?"

"you're sobbing! What's going on?"

He wanted to look her in the eye, but she turned her back. "Leave me alone. Please, just leave me."

Ichigo placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. He raised her lowered head with the tip of his finger and looked in her ever-changing eyes. "tell me what's wrong."

"they're going to end it."

"who's going to end what?"

"I went to the hospital this morning. Byakuya was there, talking to me. It seems he's been having meetings for the past week with the ethical committee. They've decided its time to remove my feeding tube."

"what does this mean?"

"it means I'm going to die."

The hospitals ethics committee and right-to-die counselors had contacted Rukia's brother several times over the past few weeks, but not until last week had he been ready to meet with them. Yesterday, as he did every morning, he had gone to the hospital, then met with the specialists who handled issues of dying and artificial life support. An older woman, Dr Soifon, a psychiatrist, had led the discussion. According to the story Byakuya recounted to Rukia's lifeless body, Dr Soifon had launched into yet another long monologue designed to convince Byakuya to accept the inevitable. Rukia was no longer anything but a body without a soul, being kept alive at an exorbitant cost to society.

It was easier on the family to keep a loved one artificially alive than to decide to accept death, but at what price? Byakuya had to accept the unacceptable and steel himself to it. The case was hopeless. They all had to have the courage to admit it. Dr Soifon emphasized that the brother was developing a state of emotional "dependency" on his sisters body.

The doctors logic, well polished over time, progressively chiseled away at Byakuya's emotional resistance to the "rational and humane" decision. With practiced, subtle logic, Dr Soifon argued that to refuse would be unjust, cruel, both for the patient and her brother: cruel - selfish - unhealthy. The psychiatrist spoke with great tact and delicacy. And now doubt was gaining ground.

Rukia could only listen helplessly as her brother told her lifeless body the whole story. Rukia watched her brother as he talked of the torment he'd been through for the past months, of his uncertainty of what the right thing to do was. After what felt like the longest hours of his life, Byakuya broke. He told his sister that he had decided that he needed to let Rukia go, let her die, that he needed to set her body free. "so, Rukia, my beloved sister," he said with a hoarse voice, "after all these years, I, who has watched over you, am going to allow you to die. I've forced you to stay alive too long now, I've been selfish, not wanting to let you go, you're the only family I have. But I know it's time. I'm going to wait over the weekend, to make sure, but next Monday, I'll meet with the doctors and sign the papers. If you're in there Rukia, in there anywhere, please give me a sign, let me know if I've made the wrong decision." her brother knelt before the bed and placed his hands on Rukia's lifeless ones. Rukia tried with every fibre of whatever it was she was now to give her brother a sign, to move merely a finger, a toe, but to no avail. Finally after two hours of pure frustration and terror, Rukia left her brother and her own body, leaving the two of them together.

Rukia bowed her head. "I came straight back here to the window seat. I want to soak in all the lights, all the views, all the smells, and all the excitement of the city while there's still time. Today's Thursday. I have only a few more days to live."

Ichigo took her in his arms, enveloping her in tenderness. "I wont let them do it."

"how will you stop them?"

"give me a couple of hours to think about it."

She floated out of his arms and turned back to the window. "what's the point?" she said, staring at the streetlamp below. "maybe its for the best; maybe they're right."

"what do you mean, 'its for the best'?"

Rukia, normally so strong, so determined, seemed to have resigned herself. "in truth, all I have left is a half life. Besides, I'm ruining my brothers life and yours."

"how can you think even for a moment that your brother would be relieved if you die for good?"

Rukia couldn't help but smile. "thanks for that."

"what did I just say?"

"its just the expression 'die for good' under the circumstances, you know."

"do you believe your brother could ever fill the empty space you'd leave behind? Do you truly think its best for him if you give up? And what about me?"

She looked at him inquiringly. "what about you?"

"I'll be there when you wake up. You may be invisible to other people, but not me."

"is that a declaration?"

Now she was mocking him. "don't be so full of yourself," he said dryly.

"why are you hanging around me, making plans, fighting on my behalf? What's gone wrong in that brain of yours?" now she was practically screaming "what's your motive?"

"you know what my motive is, Rukia."

Rukia said nothing, muttering something inaudible.

"I need to try and talk to your brother," Ichigo said after a long pause. "I think that's our best hope. I somehow need to persuade him not to let them take out your feeding tube."

At first Rukia said that would be impossible, but after another half hour of arguing, she modified her assessment to difficult. "you've never met my brother, he's a very private person, and now he's practically sick with grief. I'm the only family he has. I don't know how we can engineer a meeting."

Rukia thought some more. "Byakuya would never just invite you in to have a talk about letting his sister die - not unless you have some way of getting some professional credentials, and even then, I think he's had enough of such discussions at this point."

"what if I ran into him by chance?"

"but how would you introduce the subject of me? You cant just walk up to him and say "Hi, you don't know me, but I'm here to tell you your sisters alive and well as a ghost in my apartment!"

They stared at each other for a long time, then fell silent, both lost in thought.

"wait. I got it," Rukia said excitedly. "he walks the dog in the park every morning."

"yes, but then I'd have to have a dog to walk too."

"why?"

"because if I take a leash for a walk with no dog on the other end, my credibility would be shot."

"ha, ha, ha. Then just go jogging."

He liked the idea. He could time his run to coincide with Kon's walk. After he made a fuss over the dog, it would be easy to strike up a conversation with Rukia's brother.

Early the next morning he put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Before leaving, he asked Rukia to hold him tight in her arms.

"what's with you today?" she asked shyly.

"nothing. I don't have time to explain. It's for the dog."

She complied, laying her head on his shoulder.

"that's fine," he said briskly, and pulled away. "now I'm off, otherwise I'll miss him."

Without even saying goodbye, he rushed out of the apartment. The door closed. Rukia shrugged and sighed, "he hugged me because of the dog."

The park was still sleeping under a blanket of fog when Ichigo arrived. Everything was peaceful; a few early joggers cut through the foggy air. In a few hours, a fat sun would crest the heights of Karakura.

Ichigo spotted Rukia's brother from a long way off, matching perfectly the description his sister had given him.

Kon trotted a few steps ahead of Byakuya, who, lost in thought, seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Approaching Ichigo, Kon suddenly stopped short, sniffing the air with a circling movement of his muzzle and head. He came closer sniffing the bottom of Ichigo's leg, and then he lay down at his feet, whimpering, his tail thumping the ground. Kon was trembling with joy and excitement. Ichigo knelt down and began to stroke him gently. The dog licked his hand, his plaintive whines growing louder and more urgent.

Rukia's brother drew near, looking greatly surprised. "do you know each other?"

"why do you ask?" Ichigo said as he rose.

"he's usually so fearful, nobody can get close to him. But he's falling all over you."

"he looks unbelievably like the dog of a friend who was very dear to me."

"Yes?" said Byakuya, his heart beginning to race.

The dog sat up and began to yap, holding out his paw to Ichigo. "Kon!" exclaimed Rukia's brother. "leave the man alone."

Ichigo stuck out his hand and introduced himself. "I know Kon, of course, he's Rukia's dog!"

After a moment of hesitation Byakuya took his hand but did not introduce himself. He was disturbed by his dogs behavior, and he apologized to Ichigo for Kon's excess familiarity.

"No problem."

Then Byakuya suddenly fell silent, looking like a statue of despair.

"are you all right?" asked Ichigo.

"you know my sister?"

"yes, I know her very well. We were quite close."

He told him he had never heard Rukia mention him and asked how he and Rukia had met. He told him he was an architect. He had met Rukia at the hospital when she stitched up his hand after an accident with a paper cutter. They had hit it off and saw each other fairly often. "every now and then I dropped by and had lunch with her at the hospital, and we sometimes met for dinner when she finished early."

"Rukia never had time for lunch, and she always got home late," her brother said suspiciously.

Ichigo lowered his head and said nothing.

"but Kon does seem to know you."

"I know this must be hard for you, and I'm more sorry than I can say about what happened to Rukia. I've visited her at the hospital several times."

"I've never seen you there."

He asked if they could stroll for a little. They walked by the trees. Ichigo ventured to ask for news about Rukia's condition, explaining that he had not been able to see her for some time. Byakuya told him the situation had not improved, that there was no longer any hope. He said nothing of the decision he had reached, but he described his sisters condition in resolutely bleak terms.

After a few moments silence, Ichigo began to plead for continued faith. "doctors don't know everything about comas. Some patients have come back after years….and miracles do happen, I read about it all the time. Nothing is more sacred than life, and when, against all odds, it persists, it's a sign that should not be ignored." he invoked God, as "the only one with the right to dispense life and death."

Byakuya suddenly stopped walking and looked Ichigo straight in the eyes. "you didn't just run into me now by accident, did you? Who are you and what do you want?"

"I was just out running, and if you don't believe that this was just a chance meeting, you have to ask yourself why. I didn't teach Rukia's dog to come without being called."

"what do you want from me? And what right do you have to preach to me about life and death? You don't know how it feels to be there everyday, to see her lying there, inert, unresponsive, not moving even an eyelash, to see her chest rising and falling but her face closed to the world."

In a burst of anger, he told him about the days and nights he had spent talking to Rukia in the vain hope that Rukia might hear. His life had come to a halt with his sisters accident, leaving him an empty existence waiting for a call from the hospital to say it was all over.

"everyday of my life I wake up thinking of her, go to bed thinking of her……." Byakuya broke off and glared at Ichigo tight lipped. Ichigo said he was sorry

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." he muttered. "just leave me; I should have never spoken to you."

Ichigo apologized again, patted the dogs head, and walked slowly away. He got into his car, and as he drove away, he saw Rukia's brother in the rearview mirror, watching him leave.

* * *

next chapter: how else to save her but to steal her body?? stay tuned and please review :)


	9. Chapter 9

standard disclaimers apply

enjoy :)

* * *

Chapter 9

When he reached his apartment, Rukia was balancing on the edge of the coffee table.

"what are you doing?" he asked.

"practicing."

"I see."

"how did it go?"

He gave her a detailed account of the meeting and said how disappointed he was at his failure to sway her brother.

"you never had much of a chance really, he never changes his mind, especially if it's a decision he's taken a long, hard time to come to. He's stubborn as a mule."

"don't be hard on him, he's going through hell."

"what a brother-in-law you would make! You're just the kind of guy mothers adore."

"that's a bit beside the point isn't it?"

"I just thought of a good one: if you married me, you'd be a widower before you even had a wife."

"is that a proposal?"

"No. Forget I spoke." Rukia looked depressed. "this has been a really bad morning. I need to be alone." with that, she disappeared.

When she returned that evening, she found Ichigo at his desk, making a long list on a legal pad.

"what kind of treatment do they give your body at the hospital?" Ichigo asked her as soon as he realized she was back.

"you mean aside from hygiene?"

"I mean the medical care."

She told him that she was fed through the feeding tube, three times a day. Three times a week, antibiotics were injected into the drip feed as a precautionary measure. She described how she was turned over every morning and every night, the massages administered to her hips, elbows, knees and shoulders to maintain joint mobility. It was mostly simple nursing care, simple physical care, to try prevent her body from further curling in on itself, and to minimize bed sores. The rest of the treatment consisted of monitoring her vital signs and temperature.

"my heart and lungs function on their own, so I'm breathing on my own. That's their whole problem. Otherwise they could simply pull the plug."

"have you ever looked after patients in your condition?"

She had cared for patients admitted to the emergency room, but only for short spells, until a room was found for them, never on a prolonged basis.

"but if you _had_ to?" she supposed that she could handle it. For the most part, skilled nursing care was all that was required, except in the event of sudden complications.

"so you'd know what to do?"

"I guess so. What are you getting at?"

"is the feeding a problem?" he asked.

"in what way?"

"hard to get hold of. Is it available in a pharmacy?"

"at the hospital pharmacy, yes."

"and in a public pharmacy?"

She thought for a few seconds, then nodded. The drip feed could be reconstituted by buying glucose, anticoagulants, saline and so forth and blending them together, and they just used something like Ensure for the feeding tube. It was feasible. Besides, people on home care had their IV fluids and food administered by nurses, who ordered the products from a central pharmacy.

"I have to bring Uryu into this," Ichigo said.

"what for?"

"for the ambulance."

"the ambulance? What are you planning?"

"we're going to kidnap you."

"what?" now she was getting worried.

"we're going to kidnap you. So they cant stop feeding you."

"you're out of your mind!"

"Not completely."

"how can we kidnap me? Where will we hide the body? Who'll take care of it?"

"one question at a time!"

She would take care of the body, or she'd teach him how to; she had the necessary experience. They just had to obtain the fluids necessary for the IV, but according to her that should not be difficult.

"who will write the prescriptions?" she asked.

"that takes us to your first question: how?"

"and?"

"Uryu's girlfriend runs an auto body-shop; they specialize in rescue vehicles brought in by fire-fighters, police, EMS. We can 'borrow' an ambulance. It cant be that hard. We'll get our hands on a pair of white scrub suits and take you out of the hospital."

Rukia gave a nervous laugh. "wait a minute. Its not that simple!"

She reminded him that entering a hospital was not like entering a supermarket. Getting out of one was even more complicated. To move a patient involved a number of administrative steps. First, one needed a certificate of administration from the facility that would be receiving the patient. Other necessary documents included an authorization for the patients transfer signed by the doctor, a voucher for the ambulance company, and a statement regarding the patients condition and the patients requirements during transportation.

"that's where you come in Rukia, you're going to help me get all the paperwork."

"but I cant carry anything, let alone pick anything up."

"but you know where the forms are kept."

"Yes. So?"

"So I'm the one who'll steal them. Are you familiar with what they look like?"

"of course. I often arranged transfers." she went on to describe them as just typical forms, printed on white, pink, and blue paper, with the hospitals or ambulance service's letterhead.

"we'll get our hands on some and forge them," he said excitedly. "come on, lets go."

Ichigo grabbed his jacket and keys and ordered Rukia to follow him in a tone that allowed her no leeway to oppose his far-fetched plan. They got in the car and he drove fast to Karakura General and headed straight for the emergency-services parking lot. When Rukia asked what he was going to do, he replied with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, "follow me and keep a straight face!"

As he was going through the first door of the emergency bay, Ichigo bent over double and groped his way to the reception desk. The nurse on duty asked him what was wrong. He described violent cramps that had set in two hours after dinner. To make sure he didn't get whisked to the operation room, he mentioned twice that he'd already had his appendix out. A nurse gave him a clipboard with forms to fill out, then led him to an examination cubicle where she took his blood pressure and temperature. Then she left saying that the doctor would be in shortly.

Rukia perched on the arm of a wheelchair, was beginning to smile broadly. Ichigo was playing his part perfectly. Even she had been worried when he had first collapsed on entering the waiting room

"you don't know what you're getting yourself into," she murmured as a doctor came in to examine him.

Dr Kyoraku introduced himself and drew the curtain around the cubicle. He had Ichigo lie down on the examination table and asked him about his symptoms while scanning Ichigo's file. Other than for the age at which he entered puberty, he had written down his entire medical and personal history, as detailed as a coroners inquest. Ichigo said he suffered from terrible cramps.

"can you point to where it hurts the most?" asked the doctor.

"No, its everywhere, all over my stomach; I feel as sick as a dog."

"don't lay it on so thick," whispered Rukia, "or else he'll give you a shot of tranquilizers, have you spend the night here, and tomorrow morning you'll get a barium enema, followed by a fibroscopy and a colonoscopy."

"No shots!" Ichigo blurted out.

"I didn't say anything about shots," observed Dr Kyoraku, looking up from his folder.

"No, but I'd just as soon as say so right away because I hate shots."

The doctor asked him whether he was nervous by nature, and Ichigo nodded.

"Now I'm going to palpate your abdomen to find out where the pain is sharpest." Ichigo nodded again. The doctor placed his hands one on top of the other and began to press every inch of Ichigo's abdomen.

"does it hurt here?"

"Uh, yes," he said hesitantly.

"here?"

"No, you're not supposed to hurt there," whispered Rukia with a smile, and Ichigo at once denied discomfort.

Rukia decided to guide Ichigo throughout the examination. The doctor diagnosed spasms of the colon due to nerves and handed Ichigo a prescription for an antispasmodic medication. Two minutes later, Ichigo was striding down the long corridor that led to the exit. In his hand he had three different forms, all with Karakura Generals letterhead and logo. One blue, one pink, one green. One was a prescription, one was a receipt itemizing services and charges, and the third was a disposition form headed, in large capitals, AUTHORIZATION FOR TRANSFER / AUTHORIZATION FOR DISCHARGE, noting below that, in italics, _circle the one that is applicable_.

He wore a broad grin of self satisfaction. Rukia walked beside him. He put his arm around her. "we make a pretty good team, don't we?"

Back at the apartment, he slipped the three documents into his computer scanner and copied them. Now he possessed an unlimited source of printed forms of every shape and color with the official imprimatur of Karakura General.

"you're very good," Rukia said as the first official-looking forms emerged from the colour printer.

"in an hour or so I'll call Uryu."

"can we please discuss your plans first."

"you're right. I need to quiz you more on this whole procedure of transferring a patient."

But that was not what she wanted to discuss. "Ichigo, God knows I'm moved by your project. But, lets face it, its unrealistic, crazy, and much too dangerous for you. You'll go to jail if you're caught."

"jail doesn't compare to what you risk if we don't try anything. We only have two full days, Rukia. I don't have a choice."

"you cant do it Ichigo, I don't have the right to let you go ahead. Sorry."

"I once knew a girl who said sorry whenever she opened her mouth. It got to the point where her friends were too scared to offer her a glass of water, for fear she'd apologize for being thirsty."

"Ichigo, don't kid around. It's a crazy plan."

"it's the situation that's crazy, Rukia. Please help. We're wasting valuable time. Its your life that's at stake."

There was no alternative, and it was vital to move quickly. On Monday, the doctors would be removing her feeding tube. Ichigo made a list of the accessories he would need to put his plan into action. He printed his document and picked up the phone to call Uryu.

"I have to see you as soon as possible. Its urgent Uryu, I need you."

"where do you want to meet?"

"wherever you like."

"come to my place."

Half an hour later Uryu let him in. They sat on couches in the living room.

"what's up?"

"I need you to do me a favor with no questions asked. I want you to help me kidnap a body from the hospital."

"what's the deal? You're through with the ghost, and now you want a corpse? I can give you mine if you keep this up. It'll be up for grabs pretty soon at this rate!"

"it isn't a corpse."

"what is it then? A hospital patient in the peak of health?"

"I'm serious Uryu and in a hurry."

"I'm not allowed to ask questions?"

"you'd have a hard time understanding the answers."

"because I'm too dumb?"

"because no one could believe what I'm going through."

"try me."

"I want you to help me remove the body of a woman in a coma. They're going to terminate her on Monday. And I'm not going to let them."

"you've fallen in love with a woman in a coma? Is that what that ghost business was all about?"

Ichigo mumbled a vague "Uh-huh."

Uryu, who had been leaning forward on the couch, fell back on the couch and sighed deeply. "this is going to cost you a couple thousand hours with a shrink. Listen, I've gone along with you for almost two weeks, Ichigo. But I'm your friend, and I have a responsibility to stop you from doing something crazy. Have you really thought this through? Your minds made up?"

"with or without you, I'm going to do it."

"you really love to keep things simple, don't you?"

"if you don't want to get involved, just say so."

"lets see if I have it straight. You show up looking like hell and ask me to risk ten years in the slammer to help you lift a body from a hospital. I think I'll just pray to be transformed into the Dalai Lama, its my only chance…..so, what exactly do you need from me?"

Ichigo explained his plan, and what he needed from Uryu: basically an ambulance. They could borrow one from Uryu's girlfriend's body shop.

"oh it gets even better! Now I get to rob Nemu! Its good to know you pal, my life would never have been the same without you."

"I know I'm asking a lot. But I swear on my mothers grave, Uryu, I have to do this. I have to do this more than I've ever had to do anything in my life."

That got Uryu's attention. He knew Ichigo would never invoke his mothers name except in matters of life and death. "okay, when do you need it?"

Ichigo wanted to have the ambulance on Sunday night. The best time to steal the body was at 11 p.m. when the staff was changing shifts. Uryu would pick him up in the ambulance at half past ten. Ichigo would call him again early tomorrow morning to fine-tune the details. Ichigo hugged his friend hard. Looking preoccupied, Uryu walked Ichigo to his car.

"thank you," said Ichigo through the window.

"that's what friends are for. At the end of the month I may ask you to help me climb a mountain to give a manicure to a grizzly bear. Go on, get out of here, you look as though you've lots more to do."

As the car crossed the intersection and disappeared, Uryu raised his arms heavenward and shouted "Why me?" he waited several moments, and when it seemed clear that no answer was forthcoming, he shrugged and muttered, "yeah, I know, I know. _Why not?"_

The next day Ichigo raced from pharmacy to pharmacy, loading his car trunk with medical supplies. Back in the apartment, he found Rukia resting on his bed. He sat down carefully beside her and ran his hand just above her hair, not touching it. Then he whispered, "you know, you're really very beautiful." he left just as quietly as he had entered and went back to his architects table in the living room. As soon as he was out of the room, Rukia opened her eyes and smiled.

In the living room, Ichigo picked up the administrative forms he had printed the day before and began filling them in, leaving an occasional blank. Then he put everything in a folder. He took the folder, put on his jacket, went down to the car and drove to the hospital.

He parked in the lot by the emergency entrance and moved stealthily through automatic doors. He turned and headed for the staff lounge. A nurse taking a break there addressed him, "excuse me, can I help you?" he explained that he was springing a surprise on an old friend who worked here. "perhaps you know her; her name is Rukia Kuchiki."

The nurse fell silent, and it took her a moment to find her words. "when did you see her last?"

"oh, last summer." on the spur of the moment he improvised that he was a photojournalist just back from Africa, and Rukia was his cousin by marriage. "doesn't she work here anymore?"

The nurse said he would have to ask at the information desk next to admissions in the main hospital. She was sorry, but Rukia was not here in this department.

Ichigo put on an anxious face and asked whether there was some kind of problem. Clearly ill at ease, the nurse again told him the information desk should be able to help him. Not the ER reception desk, she added, but the one in the main hospital.

"do I have to leave the building to get there?"

"in theory, yes. You're supposed to go back out and go around."

Instead she told him how he could take a shortcut through the building to the hospital lobby. Maintaining his anxious expression, he thanked her and said goodbye. Once out of the nurse's sight, he slipped from corridor to corridor until he found what he was looking for. Through a half-open door he spied two white coats on hangers. He went in snatched them down, and bundled them under his coat. in the pocket of one he felt a stethoscope. Then he was out in the corridor again, following the nurse's directions until he emerged from the main hospital entrance. He walked around the building, found his car in the emergency parking lot, and went home.

Rukia was seated before his desk, reading the details of his plan. Before he was across the threshold, she exclaimed, "You're out of your mind!" without replying, he showed her the two white coats.

"I suppose you have an ambulance in the garage?"

"Uryu's in charge of the ambulance. He'll have it when he picks me up at ten-thirty tomorrow night."

"where did you get the coats?"

"at your hospital."

"is there anything that can stop you once you've made up your mind to do something? Show me the name tags."

Ichigo put on one of the lab coats, took a few steps, and turned, like a fashion model on a runway.

"what do you think?"

"you've stolen Aizen's coat!"

"who's he?"

"a well-known cardiologist. Theres going to be hell to pay at the hospital when he notices its missing. I can just imagine the flurry of memos. Security's going to get an earful. Dr Aizen is the most arrogant and foul-tempered medic in the whole hospital."

"what are the chances of someone realizing I'm not Dr Aizen?"

She told him not to worry. The risk was small; it would take really bad luck. Aizen was normally around in the daytime on weekdays. The night-shift staff didn't know him by sight. Ichigo wasn't likely to encounter a member of Aizen's team. On Sunday night, it would be a different hospital, with different people and a different atmosphere.

"and look, I even have a stethoscope!"

"hang it around your neck."

He did so

"you know what? You make a terribly sexy doctor," she said, her voice soft and very feminine.

Ichigo looked down at his feet. She took his hand and stroked his fingers and said in the same sweet voice, "thank you for all you're doing for me. No one has ever taken care of me like this."

"Superman….to the rescue, Lois," he said, pulling away.

They looked into each others eyes. He took her in his arms, placed his hand on the back of her neck, and brought her head to rest on his shoulder.

"we have a lot to do," he told her. "I have to get back to work."

He returned to his desk. Rukia looked at him intently and then silently withdrew to the bedroom, leaving the door open. He worked late into the night, stopping only for a light snack. He concentrated on his notes as he typed out line after line of text on his screen. He heard the television go on.

"how did you do that?" he called out. She did not reply.

He stood up, crossed the living room, and peeked through the doorway. Rukia was on the bed, lying flat on her stomach. She turned away from the TV screen and gave him a coy smile. He smiled back and returned to his keyboard.

Once he was sure that she was absorbed in her program, he got up and went to his writing desk. He opened a drawer and pulled out a letter in an envelope and a key ring with old keys, big and heavy. He did not read the letter, but slipped it into his coat pocket along with the keys. He returned to his computer and made a printout of his plan of action.

He headed for the bedroom where Rukia was sitting on the foot of the bed watching Chappy the Rabbit reruns.

Her hair fell loose over her shoulders, and she seemed calm, peaceful.

"everything's as ready as it will ever be," he said.

* * *

Just had to chuck Aizen in there lol, that's prolly the only mention he'll get in this story. please review


	10. Chapter 10

standard disclaimers apply

will update again next weekend as we're still pretty busy at work, so with that said...enjoy :)

note: sorry if you read this when i had arthur (original characters name) instead of ichigo in the first sentence, i apologize and have made the neccessary adjustments :)

* * *

Chapter 10

The next morning as Ichigo ate breakfast, he read the newspaper for the first time in two weeks, while Rukia looked on over his shoulder. From time to time she would stare at him hard, asking him if he was sure he wanted to go through with the plan. He no longer answered this question. In the middle of the day they went for a walk by the ocean.

They stood by a spot where the waves crashed against the shore.

"take a look at all this: angry ocean, indifferent land, towering mountains, trees, light that plays tricks with the colors every minute of the day, birds swooping overhead, fish looking for other fish to eat while hoping they wont end up as seagull food themselves. All of this is harmony - sounds, waves, wind and sand. And right in the middle of this unbelievable symphony of life, there's you and me and every other human being on earth. But how many of us really see the things I've just described? How many realize what a privilege it is to wake and see, feel, touch, hear?"

"not many people are capable of forgetting their worries for the second it takes to marvel at this extravaganza. It seems that the thing that we all seem to be least aware of is our own life. You're aware of it because you're in danger, and that makes you a unique being. You need others because you have no choice. So in answer to the question you keep asking me, unless I take a few risks, all this beauty, all this energy, would become inaccessible to you forever. that's why I'm doing this, because fighting to bring you back into the world gives meaning to my life. How often will I have the chance to do something that _must_ be done?"

Rukia did not say a word; after a moment, she lowered her eyes and stared at the sand. They walked side by side back to the car.

At ten thirty on the dot Uryu pulled up to Ichigo's driveway, leaving the ambulance idling as he walked up the outside stairs and rang the bell. "all set," he announced when Ichigo opened the door. Ichigo handed him a bag. "put this coat on."

"No false beards?"

Ichigo ignored the joke. "I'll explain everything on the way," he said impatiently. "We've got to hurry. We have to do this during the shift change at eleven. Rukia, you come with us we're going to need you."

"talking to your ghost?" said Uryu.

"enough, Uryu! Come on, get moving!"

Rukia sat waiting for them in the front seat.

"boy, this thing is old," Ichigo said as he got in between Uryu and Rukia. "what is this, vintage 1971?"

"well, excuse me," Uryu said annoyed. "I took what I could find, and now you're going to give me a hard time! Maybe we'd get along more easily if you'd just talk to me in your Mussolini voice."

"I was joking. It's perfect."

"want the flashing lights and siren, Doc?"

"Uryu, this is a matter of life and death. Please be serious."

"cant do it old pal. Absolutely not. If I seriously believed that my business partner and I were in a stolen ambulance on the way to lifting a body from a hospital, I might wake up, and your little plan would be dead in the water. So I'm doing my best to be as unserious as possible. That way I'll go on thinking this is just a dream, verging on a nightmare. On the bright side, I've always found Sunday evenings very dull; at least this will be memorable."

Rukia laughed.

"you find that funny?"

"stop talking to yourself!"

"I'm not talking to myself."

"okay, there's a ghost in the back! But stop having conversations with it. It makes me nervous."

"Not _it_. Her! She's a woman, and she can hear everything you say."

"I don't know what you've been smoking for the past few weeks, but I'd really like some too."

"Drive!"

"are you two always like this?" Rukia asked.

"pretty much."

"what did you say?" Uryu asked.

"I wasn't talking to you."

Uryu braked abruptly.

"what's the matter?" asked Ichigo.

"Stop this! You're going too far, I swear!"

"what am I doing?"

"you know perfectly well," Uryu bellowed. "you keep talking to yourself. Its absurd!"

"I'm not talking to myself Uryu, I'm talking to Rukia. You just have to take my word for it."

"Ichigo, maybe this all has to stop right here and now. This is complete madness!"

Ichigo raised his voice. "for God's sake, I'm asking you to trust me!"

"you have to explain what's really going on ," Uryu said in a softer voice. "right now you seem like a madman, and I fear I'm even madder to be getting involved in this craziness!"

"just drive, Uryu, please start driving again! I'll try to explain, but the story hasn't changed for the past few weeks I'm afraid. You have to do the hard part here: you have to try to believe, and understand, even though it defies both."

And as the ambulance wound its way across the city, Ichigo explained the unexplainable to his life long friend and accomplice. He told him everything - from the beginning, from the bathroom closet to that very night.

Forgetting for a moment that Rukia was there, Ichigo added, "She's beautiful, Uryu, and she's funny, and witty, and we talk about everything. Oh, we disagree and bicker sometimes, but an amazing tenderness has grown between us. I feel at home with her."

Uryu cut in, "if she's really here, you've landed yourself in deep trouble, my friend."

"how so?" Ichigo asked, looking at Uryu.

"because," said Uryu with a complacent smile, "I think you just told her you love her." Uryu glanced over at his friend, then added, "in any case, _you_ believe your story."

"of course I believe it. But why do you say that?"

"because I swear you just blushed and I've never seen you blush before." then Uryu called out, "are you there, young lady whose body we're going to steal? If you are, you can take it from me that my buddy here has it bad. I've never seen him like this before."

Deliberately avoiding eye contact with Rukia, Ichigo interjected, "Shut up and drive."

"I'll tell you what. I'm going to believe your story, Ichigo. Since you're my friend, I cant do otherwise. Being a friend is all about being willing to act crazy as the other guy, right? Hey, there's your hospital."

Rukia couldn't remain quiet any longer. "you two are pure Abbott and Costello." she was smiling radiantly.

"where do I go now?" asked Uryu.

"drive to the ambulance bay and park. Turn on the lights."

The three of them got out and walked in to the reception desk, where a clerk greeted them.

"what are you bringing us?"

"nothing, we are here to pick up a patient," Ichigo replied in an authoritative voice. He presented himself as Dr Aizen. He had come to take charge of a patient, Rukia Kuchiki, who was scheduled for transfer to an extended-care facility tonight.

The nurse on duty, a big breasted strawberry blonde named Matsumoto, her name tag said, asked for the transfer forms, and Ichigo handed her the sheaf of papers. Her whole being seemed to frown. "why on earth did you choose to show up just as we're changing shifts? The transfer will take at least half an hour, and I'm due to go off duty in five minutes."

Ichigo apologized: he and the driver had had other patients ahead of this one.

"I'm sorry too." Matsumoto told them the patient was on the fifth floor, Room 505, and directed them to the elevators. She would sign the paperwork, leave it on the driver's seat in the ambulance, and notify her replacement. "this was no time of night for a transfer!"

Ichigo couldn't resist telling her that it was never a good time for a transfer: it was always too early or too late. Matsumoto ignored his remark.

"I'll get the gurney," said Uryu to cut short their exchange. "see you up there, Doctor."

Matsumoto offered to call an orderly to help. Ichigo declined, but asked her if she would be kind enough to leave Rukia's medical records in the ambulance with her other papers.

"the records stay here. A copy will be mailed to you, you should know that." suddenly she looked suspicious.

"I know that, Matsumoto," said Ichigo. "I only need her most recent labs - blood sugar, chem screen, CBC, hematocrit, blood gases."

"Wow! That was really impressive," whispered Rukia. "where did you pick all that up?"

"TV," Ichigo joked back in a whisper.

Matsumoto looked at him oddly. "you'll find the lab reports in Miss Kuchiki's chart at the fifth-floor nurses station." she paused, eyeing him coldly. "I think it's best if I come with you."

Ichigo thanked her, but said that she should remain here so that she could finish her shift at the appointed time; he would manage without her. "it's Sunday night, and if you're as beat as I am, you've earned your rest." he gave her his most charming, complicitous smile.

Uryu, just returning to the reception area with the gurney, took Ichigo by the arm and walked him swiftly down the corridor. The elevator whisked the three conspirators to the fifth floor. As the doors opened, Ichigo said to Rukia, "So far, so good."

"Yes!" Rukia and Uryu said in unison.

A young medical student burst out of a room, looking frantic. Catching sight of them, he ran over, peered at Ichigo's name tag, and grabbed his elbow. "Dr Aizen! Thank God you're here. I need help in five oh eight. Follow me!"

The student ran back to the room he had just left. Ichigo started to panic. "this is terrible! How can we get out of this!"

"you're asking me?" said Uryu.

"No, I'm asking Rukia!"

"let's go, you've got no choice," said Rukia. "I'll tell you what to do."

"Yes, let's go, we've got no choice," said Ichigo aloud.

"what do you mean, let's go? You're not a doctor, don't you think we should stop this madness before you kill someone?"

"she's going to help us."

"oh, well, in that case, if _she's_ going to help us," said Uryu, raising his arms. "Lord, why me? Why me?"

All three of them pushed into room 508. The medical student stood by the bed, a nurse beside him. He said to Ichigo in a panic, "he's gone into cardiac arrhythmia, he's an advanced diabetic, I don't know how to reestablish normal rhythm. I'm only in my third year."

"Never fear, Dr Aizen is here," Uryu muttered under his breath.

Rukia whispered into Ichigo's ear, "tear off the strip coming out of the EKG machine and hold it up so I can read it too."

"let's have some light here, " Ichigo said authoritatively.

He went around the bed and tore off a long strip of the EKG tracing. Unrolling it, he turned his back on the others so Rukia could see the tape.

"it's a ventricular arrhythmia. He's useless!"

Ichigo repeated the diagnosis word for word" "it's a ventricular arrhythmia. You're useless!"

Uryu rolled his eyes, wiping his hand across his forehead.

"I know it's a ventricular arrhythmia, Doctor," said the student, "but what do we do about it?"

"you don't know anything? What do you mean, _what do we do about it?_" Ichigo repeated, stalling for time.

"ask him what he's already injected," said Rukia.

"what have you injected so far?"

The nurse replied, her tone betraying her exasperation at the medical student's ineptitude, "Nothing! We haven't injected anything, Doctor. We haven't treated the patient at all."

"tell me what you think we should do," Ichigo said, pretending to address the medical student.

"shit," cried Uryu. "we're not here to give medical students lessons. Look at that poor guy in the bed, he's turned blue! You're losing him buster, I mean Doctor." Uryu was beside himself. "San Quentin," he moaned, "next stop San Quentin!"

"calm down, buddy." Ichigo turned to the nurse. "forgive him, he's new, but he was the only driver available tonight."

"give him two milligrams of epinephrine, and we'll place a central tract to drain off the fluid. From now it will be tricky, sweetheart," said Rukia.

"inject two milligrams of epinephrine," Ichigo intoned.

"I already have it drawn up Doctor," said the nurse. "I was waiting for someone who knew what they were doing to give the order."

"then we'll place a central catheter," said Ichigo, his tone half-questioning, half-commanding. "do you know how to place a central catheter?" he asked the student.

"ask the nurse to do it, she'll be delighted. Doctors never let them do any of the good stuff," said Rukia.

"I've never done one," said the student.

"Nurse, you can handle this, right?" said Ichigo.

"No, you go ahead Doctor, it'll save time. I'll prepare it for you straight away. But thanks for your vote of confidence. Come with me," she said to the medical student, like a mother to a recalcitrant child. "at least you can help with the supplies." the nurse left the room with the med student following sheepishly at her heels.

"what do I do now?" asked Ichigo, his voice stifled, panic-stricken.

"we're getting out of here, that's what we do," said Uryu. "We're out of here and running, right now!"

Rukia interrupted, "you can do this Ichigo. I'll talk you through it."

As she was speaking, the nurse returned with a tray holding a cardiac needle, catheter, and other supplies.

"stand over him, aim for two fingers below the sternum - you know where the sternum is, don't you? I'll tell you if you're not in the right place. Hold it at a fifteen-degree angle and then push the needle in, slowly but firmly. If you're in the right place, you'll see clear fluid flow back into the syringe. If you miss, it'll be blood. And pray you have beginner's luck - because if you don't, we're in it up to our ears. Us and the guy lying there."

"I cant do this," Ichigo muttered under his breath.

"you have no choice, nor does he. This man is going to die if you don't."

"did you call me sweetheart, or was I dreaming?"

Rukia smiled. "go ahead, and take a deep breath before you stick the needle in." the nurse handed the tract tube to Ichigo. "take it by the plastic end, and good luck!" Ichigo placed the needle where Rukia had told him. The nurse watched attentively. "that's perfect," murmured Rukia, "tilt it down a little more. Now, in one movement." the needle popped through the membrane surrounding the heart. "that's good. Now, turn that valve on the side of the tube." Ichigo did as he was told. A clear fluid started trickling into the tube.

"Bravo. Done like a pro! You just saved his life!"

Uryu had already come close to fainting several times. "I don't believe this," he kept muttering.

The patient's heart, free of the fluid that had been compressing it, resumed a normal beat. The nurse thanked Ichigo and said, "I'll take over now." Ichigo and Uryu made their farewells and went back to the corridor.

But Uryu could not resist poking his head back into the room and calling the student, "useless." returning to Ichigo he said, "God, you really had me scared there."

"she helped me. She told me what to do every step."

Uryu shook his head. "any minute now I'm going to wake up, and when I phone to tell you about the nightmare I'm having, you'll laugh. Boy, will you laugh!"

"Come on, Uryu, lets do what we came here to do."

They entered Room 505. Ichigo pushed the light switch and the fluorescent tubes shimmered into life. Uryu went to the bed and looked down at Rukia's body. "you're right pal, she's a knockout. A little on the pale side, though, almost ghostly, wouldn't you say?"

Ichigo laughed. "okay pal, enough looking; now wheel the stretcher in beside the bed."

Ichigo gently lifted Rukia's body behind her back. "now, get your hands under her knees, and watch out for the IV. We'll lift her on the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

They gently hoisted Rukia's body onto the gurney. Ichigo draped blankets over her, unhooked the IV bag from it's pole and looped it over a hook above her head.

"phase one accomplished. Now lets get back downstairs. No need to hurry, we're just going about our business."

"Yes Doctor," said Uryu, gritting his teeth.

"you guys are doing really well," said Rukia.

As they headed for the elevator, the nurse called to them from the end of the corridor.

Ichigo slowly turned around. "Yes, Nurse?"

"everything's under control here, do you need a hand?"

"No, everything's fine here too."

"thanks again, Doctor."

"Don't mention it."

The doors opened and they entered the elevator. Ichigo and Uryu both gave a sigh of relief.

"three top models, a couple of weeks in Hawaii, a Ferrari, and a yacht."

"what are you talking about?"

"my fee, I'm just beginning to calculate what you owe me for tonight, and that's just for phase one, as you call it."

The hall was deserted when they emerged from the elevator. They crossed it with hurried steps and loaded Rukia's body into the back of the ambulance. On Ichigo's seat were the transfer papers and a small yellow Post-it note:

_Call me tomorrow, there are a couple of blanks that need filling in on the transfer form._

_Matsumoto (415) 555-0000, ext 2154._

Rukia told Ichigo she'd ride in back with her body. "it's the first time I've had sole possession of it in months!" she joked. Ichigo climbed in next to Uryu and they took off.

"so, body snatching is pretty easy after all," said Uryu.

"I guess it's because not a lot of people want to do it," said Ichigo.

"yeah. I can understand why. Where to now, Doc?"

"first stop my apartment."

The ambulance climbed back up the incline and turned onto the street the apartment was on. The neighborhood was quiet.

Ichigo's plan called for an initial detour to transfer Rukia's body from the ambulance to his car. While Uryu was returning the "borrowed" ambulance to his girlfriends shop, Ichigo would bring down everything he had prepared for the drive and their stay in Rukongai.

The medical supplies had been carefully wrapped and stored in the front section of his refrigerator.

Reaching the apartment building, Uryu tried to activate the garage door, but there was no response.

"this is exactly like a bad B movie," Uryu said.

"what's the matter?" asked Ichigo.

"in a bad B movie you'd drop the polite manner; you'd deliver a line out of the corner of your mouth. 'what the hell's going on?' is what you'd say. Well, in this case, its your garage door that's not opening. There's an ambulance stolen from my girlfriend's garage parked in front of your driveway with a corpse inside at just the time your neighbors come out to take their dogs for a piss."

"Fuck!"

"that about sums it up."

"hand me that remote."

Uryu passed it across with a shrug, and Ichigo jabbed frantically at the button. Nothing happened.

"On top of it all, he thinks I'm a moron," Uryu groaned.

"it must be the battery."

"all geniuses get stung by this kind of detail sooner or later," said Uryu sarcastically.

"Uryu, go circle the block while I find a new battery."

"better pray you've got one in the bottom of a drawer somewhere."

"don't argue, just go on up," said Rukia.

Ichigo left the ambulance and raced up the stairs. He looked in the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom. By the time Uryu was making his fifth circuit, Uryu had ransacked every drawer in the house and still hadn't found a battery.

"I'm dead meat if the cops decide to pull me over," Uryu grumbled. As he began his sixth circuit, a patrol car appeared. "I _am_ dead meat!"

The car pulled alongside him; the officer signaled for him to lower his window.

"you lost?"

"No, I'm waiting for my partner. He's gone to get some stuff from his apartment, then we're taking Daisy back to the garage."

"who's Daisy?" asked the policeman.

"this ambulance. Its her last tour of duty, she's done her time, we've been together for ten years, Daisy and me. It's hard to say goodbye, know what I mean? A whole lot of memories, A big piece of my life."

The cop nodded. He understood and merely asked Uryu not to take too long. People would start calling in to report him. Folks in this neighborhood were nosy and prone to worry. "don't I know it, Officer, I live around here. Good night!"

The officer returned the greeting, and the patrol car pulled away. Inside, the driver bet his partner ten dollars that Uryu wasn't waiting for anyone. "I bet he cant bring himself to turn in his old lady. Ten years together, that's a long time."

"Yeah! Funny though. Most EMS guys are always complaining that the city wont give them the money for new equipment."

"Yeah, but ten years, you really get attached."

"that's for sure."

Ichigo stood in the middle of the living room, racking his brain for where he might find a battery.

"the TV remote," Rukia said softly.

He spun around to look at her, then grabbed for the little black device. He tore off its tiny rear flap and removed the battery, quickly transferring it to the garage-door remote. Then he ran to the window, leaned out, and pressed the button.

Uryu, was beginning his ninth circuit when he saw the door start to rise. He drove right in, praying that the door would close faster than it had opened.

"it really was the battery. And I'm in business with him!"

Meanwhile, Ichigo hurried down the stairs to the garage.

"everything okay?"

"for you or for me? Truthfully, I'm ready to strangle you."

"why don't you help me instead? We still have work to do."

"I've done nothing but help!"

They carried Rukia's body with great care. They sat her in the back of Ichigo's car, the IV bag wedged between the armrests, and wrapped her in a blanket. Her head rested against the door. Anyone looking inside would assume she was asleep.

"he really has helped," said Rukia, coming back from upstairs.

"you're right, lets keep things moving."

"I'm right even when I don't say a thing?" Uryu grumbled.

"go to your girls garage and I'll come pick you up in ten minutes. I'm going back up to fetch the equipment."

Uryu climbed into the ambulance and left; this time the garage door opened without incident. Crossing Union Street, he failed to notice the same squad car that had stopped him earlier.

"let a car in between us and follow him," said the policeman.

The ambulance turned into Main, followed at a short distance by city patrol vehicle 627. When Uryu drove into the body shop ten minutes later, the police slowed down, then returned to their usual rounds.

A quarter hour later, Ichigo appeared. Uryu came into the street and got into the passenger seat of the car.

"you took the scenic route?"

"I drove slowly, because of her. You can relax now Uryu. We've almost made it. You've just done me an incredible favor. I know you've taken huge risks, and I know it was a lot to ask. What I don't know is how to tell you how grateful I am."

"you want to show me how grateful you are? Just let me drive the car. I cant stand thank-yous. Where to?"

"we're going to a place that's also in a deep coma, and the three of us are going to wake it up. We're going to Rukongai."

The car left the city on 280 South. Soon they veered off onto Route One, the highway leading along the cliffs to Melon Bay and Rukongai. It was the route that Rukia and her old convertible had been headed for early one morning the previous summer.

The scenery was spectacular; the cliffs made pale lace patterns against the blackness of the night. A waning moon shed its pale glow on the freeway, which, even at this hour, had its lone travelers and trucks. They drove to the sound of a concerto for violin.

While Uryu drove, Ichigo stared out into the night. He knew the enormity of what he was doing. At the end of this journey, another awakening was in store for him. The awakening of the sense of wonder he'd missed for so long, the wonder of Masaki….and now of Rukia.

* * *

So ends another chapter, now with the next chapter, we take a slight departure from this storyline to explain Ichigo's history with his mother. The way I see it is I leave it to you readers to decide whether you want to hear it, or if you would rather I continue this story with Ichigo and Rukia. The choice is yours. I'll just let you know that the Ichigo and Masaki story has no huge bearing on the story thus far or in the future, its just an insight into the relationship between Ichigo and his mom, which pretty much follow the manga/anime in the respect that she still dies obviously, but it wasnt his fault, she's ill, and his feelings and coming to terms with her death.

if you dont want to hear it, we start going more into ichigo and rukia's progressing relationship ;)

So leave a review letting me know kay. :)


	11. Chapter 11

standard disclaimers apply

well i decided not to go with the masaki story as i feel this chapter gives her enough lip service, so in saying that, i do feel iffy on this chapter but i hope you enjoy it and it only gets better :)

* * *

Chapter 11

The car was approaching the final minutes of this nights long drive. Its headlamps lit up the orange lines of the bends carved out of rock cliffs, and the long white lines of the open stretches, flanked on either side by marshland and empty beach. Rukia was dozing. Uryu drove in silence, focused on the road and deep in his own thoughts.

Ichigo took this moment of peace to remove the letter unobtrusively from his pocket. It was the letter he had placed there along with the heavy keys from the writing desk in his apartment.

When he opened the envelope, a waft of fragrance escaped, laden with memories. It was a blend of the two perfumes his mother used to concoct in a big yellow crystal flask with a tarnished silver stopper. The smell released his own memories of her. He removed the letter and carefully unfolded it.

_My darling Ichigo,_

_If you are reading these words, it means you've finally made up your mind to set out for Rukongai. How I'd love to know how old you are right now._

_You're holding the keys to the house where we spent such wonderful years together. I knew you wouldn't go there right away, that you'd wait until you felt ready to wake the old place up._

_Soon you'll be pushing open the front door. I can still hear it creak. Every room you wake will stir memories. You'll open up the shutters one by one, letting in the sunlight that I shall miss so much. And of course you'll go to the rose garden. Perhaps by now they would have run wild._

_You should also go to my study. Make yourself comfortable there. In the closet you'll find my small black suitcase. Open it if you wish, if you have the strength. Inside you'll find notebooks full of the pages I wrote to you everyday of your childhood._

_Your life is before you. You alone are master of it. Be worthy of "all the things I loved about you."_

_Your mother, Masaki._

Discreetly he returned the letter to his pocket.

Ichigo gave Uryu directions from the passenger seat. It had been more than twenty years since he'd been here, yet nothing had changed; he recognized the smell of the place even in the dead of night. Ichigo saw the cypress that stood herald at the turn onto the dirt road, potholed by winter rains and baked by summer suns. As they rounded a bend, Ichigo could make out the ornate, green wrought-iron gate that protected the property from the tourists.

"here we are," said Ichigo.

"got the keys?"

"I'll open the gate and let you through." Ichigo got out of the car and inhaled the fresh, cold sea air. "you go on down to the house and wait for me, I'll walk."

"is she coming with you or staying in the car?"

Ichigo leaned in the window. "Rukia," he called gently.

"you go on alone, I think that's best for the moment," she said.

"you just got lucky, she's staying with you," Ichigo told Uryu with a grin.

The car pulled away, trailing dust. Ichigo stood there quietly for a long time, taking in the dark landscape. Broad strips of ocher-colored soil were bordered by umbrella and silver pines that Isshin had planted when Ichigo was a boy and now towered above him. The ground was strewn with pine needles, and in the distance he could hear the ocean. The house looked intact, although the surrounding shrubbery was overgrown. He could just make out the peeling blue wooden fence that enclosed the rose garden off to the left of the house.

When he got to the house, he realized that it seemed smaller than he'd remembered. It needed a good paint job, and several closed shutters were hanging precariously, but the roof looked solid. His father had taken good care of it.

Uryu had parked by the wide front porch and was waiting for Ichigo beside the car. "you took your time getting here!"

"more than twenty years!"

"So? What now?" asked Uryu.

Ichigo told Uryu they would first need to put Rukia's body in his mothers study on the ground floor. Ichigo slipped the key in the lock and unhesitatingly turned it the wrong way, which was the right way to open it. Some lessons become automatic, even when not repeated for years. The click of the latch prompted instant recognition, as if he had heard it just the day before. He walked into the hallway and opened the first door on the left. Without thinking, he flipped on the light switch, deliberately ignoring his surroundings. There would be time enough to rediscover this place, and to show it to Rukia, but first they needed to deal with her body.

Suddenly Uryu craned his head through the door. "how come there's still electricity here?"

"I called the company on Friday and asked them to reconnect us. Same for the water in case you're worried. C'mon, Uryu, lets move her right away." Ichigo led Uryu back out of the house to the car.

Rukia stayed with her body as they carried the stretcher up the stairs and wheeled it into Masaki's study. They shifted it onto the sofa bed.

Rukia looked at Ichigo. "now make sure the IV's running freely, check my pulse to make sure its not racing, then leave me alone here for a while. I need to get used to my surroundings."

Uryu unloaded the rest of the supplies, and Ichigo helped him arrange them in the kitchen.

When Uryu had finished bringing everything in, he said, "Well buddy, I'd love to stay for your housewarming party with your comatose ghost, but I better hit the road right away if I want to get at least half a day in the office. Think we might find a way to make me a cup of fuel before I take off?"

Ichigo opened the kitchen cabinet and took out a small espresso maker and set it on the stove. He found an old, unopened can of coffee in the cupboard and measured it into the cup, then filled the top section with coffee.

Ichigo bent down and turned the tap on the butane tank under the sink. Then he turned the knob on the left of the stove top to turn on the burner itself.

"you think there's still gas in that bottle?" asked Uryu.

"my old man would never have left the house with an empty tank still in the kitchen, and I bet you there are at least two more full ones in the garage."

Soon Ichigo set two cups on the wooden tabletop and poured out the fragrant coffee. "give it a moment."

"why?"

"because you'll burn yourself, and anyway you have to inhale it first. Let the aroma flood your nostrils."

"cut the crap about the coffee. You're driving me mad. I cant believe it, 'let the aroma flood your nostrils'?"

Uryu raised the cup to his lips, then instantly spat his tiny sip of hot coffee back into his cup.

Just then Rukia came and stood behind Ichigo and whispered in his ear, "I like this place. I feel good here, its soothing."

"I'm glad you like it."

"I cant wait to see the grounds."

"I cant wait to show you everything."

"are you okay there, pal?" Uryu interrupted.

"sorry," Ichigo said, "I was talking to Rukia."

"if you find my presence intrusive, just pretend I'm not here," Uryu said sarcastically.

With a slightly mischievous look in her eye, Rukia whispered to Ichigo that she longed to be alone with him.

Uryu, waiting testily for Ichigo to turn his attention from Rukia back to him, broke in, "do you still need me? Because if not, I'm heading out now. You know your little talks with ghostie make me feel uncomfortable."

"why don't you try being more open-minded?"

"you want me to be more open-minded - me, they guy who stole an ambulance to help you lift a body from a hospital one fine Sunday night, the guy who's now drinking coffee hours from home without having slept a wink. You've got a lot of nerve!"

"I'm sorry Uryu. You know that's not what I meant. And I am grateful to you, more grateful than I can ever express. I truly hope someday I'll be able to return the favor."

Ichigo was worried that his friend might be too tired to tackle the return drive. But Uryu reassured him: thanks to that coffee, he was good for at least another twenty hours non-stop before the sandman would come anywhere near him.

"Now, its all right for me to leave you and the ghost and the corpse all here alone, without a car, in a deserted house in the middle of the night?" Uryu asked.

"there should be a vintage Ford station wagon in the garage, and old fashioned woody."

"when was the last time anyone drove it?"

"I guess its been a while."

"and you think it will start?"

"it'll be okay as soon as I recharge the battery," Ichigo said as he walked out to the car with Uryu. "don't worry about me."

"of course I'll worry about you. If these were normal circumstances and I was leaving you alone in this house, I'd be terrified of the idea of ghosts. But you, you bring your own!"

"Go on."

Uryu started the car and lowered his window. "you're sure you'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine."

"okay, then I'm off."

"Uryu?"

"Yes?"

"I mean it, thanks for everything."

"it was nothing."

"it was a hell of a lot, you took all those risks for me without knowing the whole picture, all out of loyalty and friendship. It was a great hell of a lot, and I know it."

"I know you know. Okay, I'm out of here - before we start getting sentimental. Take good care of yourself and keep me posted at the office."

Ichigo promised and watched until his car's taillights faded from view.

Rukia came out and stood beside him. "how long has it been since your mother died?"

"a long time."

"and you've never been back here?"

"Never. You're not the only ghost in my life," he said gently.

"it's difficult for you, isn't it, being back here?"

"that's not quite the word; lets say its important to me to be here."

"and you did this for me?"

"I did it because it was time to try."

"to try what?"

"I forgot you had such a stubborn streak." he paused. "to open a little black suitcase."

"what are you talking about?"

"undiscovered memories."

"you have a lot of them here?"

"this was my mother's home and mine too for a while."

"did your mother die suddenly?"

"No, she died of cancer; she knew all about it ahead of time. But for me it was very sudden. Come on, I'll show you around."

The two of them went down the front steps, and Ichigo lead Rukia to the ocean. They sat on the rocks at the waters edge, shaded by a straggling, windblown cypress.

"if you knew how many hours I spent sitting here with her. We often came down to watch the sunset. Lots of people gather on the beaches in the evening just to watch the show. Every night it's different. Because of differences in the temperature of the ocean, the air, and a host of other factors. The color of the sky at sunset never repeats itself."

"did you live here long?"

"until I was ten. That's when she died."

"tonight you'll show me the sunset."

"in this neck of the woods, it's a must," he said with a smile.

Behind them, the house was beginning to reflect the early-morning light. The façade was a little wind-beaten on the seaward-facing side, but overall the house had stood up well over the years. From the outside, no one would have believed it had been sleeping for so long.

"the house is in pretty good shape given that its been empty for so long," said Rukia.

"my dad maintained the upkeep of the house till a few years ago, which is funny because he was never much of a repairman. But my parents loved each other so much." Ichigo explained that they just had to look at each other to know what the other was thinking. They seemed to be two halves of a perfect whole.

"where's your dad now?"

Isshin Kurosaki currently lived in America with Ichigo's younger twin sisters, as Karin, the older twin, was offered a sports scholarship at a great university and Yuzu didn't want to be separated from her. So, Isshin moved the family, excluding Ichigo, who at that time had just started up an architectural firm with Uryu.

As if with one mind, they both rose and crossed back toward the house. Ichigo abruptly left the path, went to the blue wooden gate, and opened it slowly.

"Now for the jewel in the crown - Masaki's kingdom of roses!"

Masaki was crazy about her roses. They were the only subject on which he had ever seen her squabble with Isshin. "mom knew every flower personally. If you dared cut just one of them she would realize at once." Ichigo remembered during one torrential downpour, his mom and dad had got up in the dead of night, raced to the garage, and hauled out a tarpaulin that was easily thirty feet across and a hundred feet long. Working with feverish haste, Isshin had fastened three sides of the tarpaulin to heavy posts. As for the fourth side, they had held it up at arm's length, one standing on a step ladder, the other perched on a tall tennis umpires chair. They had spent the night shaking this giant umbrella whenever it became weighed down with rain. The storm had lasted more than three hours.

"I'm convinced they would have been less excited if the house had caught fire. Next morning they looked like two human shipwrecks." but they had saved the rose garden.

They spent a good part of the day discovering and rediscovering the house's surroundings. Ichigo pointed out a tree with the carvings he had made on its bark, and he showed Rukia where he had broken his collarbone, falling from a pine.

The day passed serenely, with Rukia learning all the details of Ichigo's childhood. As sunset approached, they returned to the ocean's edge, sat on a boulder, and gazed at the sight people flocked from far and wide to behold.

When night fell, they retreated to the house, and Ichigo gave Rukia's body a sponge bath. Then he ate a light supper, and they settled down by the fire he had made in the little living room.

"well now, what about this little black suitcase?"

"nothing escapes you, does it?"

"I listen, that's all."

"it's a case that belonged to mom. She kept all her letters and souvenirs in it. In fact, I believe the case must contain everything that mattered in her life."

"what do you mean, 'I believe'?"

The case was a great mystery, he told her. Opening it was strictly forbidden. "and believe me, I'd never have risked it!"

"where's it now?"

"in the study next door."

"and you never came back to open it. I cant believe it!"

He had never wanted to rush this moment. He told himself he would be fully grown-up, and ready to understand what he might find inside. Seeing Rukia's skeptical frown, he confessed, "Okay, the fact is I was always to scared to open it."

"scared of what?"

"I don't know, scared it would change my image of her."

"go and get it!"

Ichigo did not move. Rukia insisted: there was no reason to be afraid. If Masaki had packed her whole life into a case, it was so that her son might one day know who she was. "the risk of loving is loving faults as much as strengths - they go together. What are you afraid of - passing judgment on your mother? You don't have the soul of a judge. You cant ignore what's in the suitcase: you'd be breaking her rules….she left it to you so that you could learn all about her, to prolong what life didn't allow her to. So that you could really know her, not just as a child but with the eyes and heart of a man."

For a few seconds, Ichigo considered what Rukia had just said. Keeping his eyes on her, he got up, went out to the study, and opened the closet. The little black case sat on the shelf in front of him. Taking a firm grip in its worn handle, he yanked. Returning to the living room, he sat down cross-legged next to Rukia.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo snapped the locks and the lid sprung open. The case was stuffed with letters, photos, and memorabilia from Ichigo's past - a small airplane he'd carved out of rock salt to mark a long-gone Mother's Day, a modeling-clay ashtray, a seashell necklace, even the twins baby booties. On the very top of the case was a folded letter, stapled shut, on which Masaki had written ICHIGO in big letters. He took it and unsealed it.

_Dearest Ichigo,_

_So, here you are in your house. Time heals all wounds, though it leaves us with a few scars. In this suitcase, you'll find all my memories, those I shared with you, those from my life before you, and those I was unable to tell you about because you were still a child. You will learn to see your mother with new eyes. I was your mother and I was also a woman, with fears, doubts, failures, regrets, and triumphs. Much of the advice I gave you came from my own mistakes. And I made a lot of them._

_Parents are like mountains we spend our lives trying to climb. We don't realize that one day we ourselves will be those mountains._

_There's nothing more complex than raising a child. You spend your whole life giving him or her what you think is best, yet knowing all the while that you are constantly mistaken. But for most parents it is all out of love, even though sometimes its impossible not to give way to a little selfishness. We're not saints, after all. On the day I shut this little case I was afraid of disappointing you. I left too soon for you to see me through more mature eyes. I don't know how old you will be when you read this letter. I see you as a handsome young man. God, how I wish I could have spent more years by your side. If you knew how empty I feel, thinking that I will never see you again open your eyes in the morning, never again hear the sound of your voice calling me. The thought hurts me more than the illness that is taking me so far away from you._

_What I want to tell you is that I always loved your father. Isshin loved me the way every woman dreams of being loved at least once in their life. Your father is a fine man, but to me he was unique. No one looked at me the way he did, no one spoke to me the way he did; nothing could happen to me while I was by his side, and I feared nothing. _

_He understood all my needs, all my desires, and never ceased to fulfill them. His whole life was rooted in harmony, gentleness, the gift of giving, and he taught me about the gift of receiving._

_There are many things I would have liked to share with you, but we didn't have enough time. You'll find all sorts of things in this bag of tricks I'm leaving you - photos of you, of your little sisters, your father, his letters (don't read them, they belong to me; I could never bring myself to part with them). _

_I tried my best, my love. I did the best this woman could do with all her virtues and defects. But I want you to know that you and the twins were my whole life, my whole reason for living, the best, most beautiful, most important thing that ever happened to me. I pray that you will experience the unique gift of having a child; it will help you understand many things._

_My greatest pride will always be that I was your mom, and always shall be._

_I love you._

_Masaki._

He folded the letter and replaced it on top of the case's contents. Rukia saw that he was crying. She moved closer to him and collected his tears on the back of her forefinger. He looked up in surprise, all his pain washed away by the tenderness in her eyes. She let her finger drop to his chin. In turn, he laid his hand on her cheek, then around the nape of her neck, bringing her face close to his. As soon as their lips brushed lightly, she pulled away.

"why are you doing this for me, Ichigo?"

"because I love you."

He took her by the hand and led her outside the house.

"where are we going?" she asked.

"to the ocean."

"No. Here, now." she stepped in front of him and unbuttoned his shirt.

"but how did you - ? I thought you couldn't - ?"

"don't ask questions. I don't know how I did it."

She let his shirt slide down over his shoulders and ran her hands across his back. He felt at a loss - how do you undress a ghost? Rukia smiled, closed her eyes, and was instantly naked.

"I just have to think about a dress to suddenly be wearing it. If you only knew how much fun I've had…"

There on the porch, she wrapped herself around him and kissed him.

Rukia's soul was absorbed by this man's body and, in turn, entered into him, lasting the time of an embrace, like the magic of an eclipse.

The suitcase was open.

* * *

the next chapter i introduce urahara and yoruichi YAY!!!


	12. Chapter 12

standard disclaimers apply

new chapter for yall, that i like to title as "the investigation" dont worry we'll get back to rukia and ichigo soon enough but in the meantime enjoy

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Chapter 12

Inspector Urahara found the report waiting on his desk when he arrived at work. A supervisor from Karakura General Hospital had called the police headquarters at 8 a.m. this morning, just after she arrived for her shift. A patient in a coma had vanished from the hospital: a clear case of kidnapping.

He had cursed and grumbled at his more than good friend and colleague Yoruichi, who dispatched the calls that came to the central switchboard.

"what did I do to deserve this, first thing on a Monday morning?"

"you could've at least shaved, considering it's the beginning of the week," she countered with a broad smile.

"that's an interesting reply," he said, stroking his two-day growth. It was true, he should have shaved. But he was only two months away from retirement, and he was already practicing letting his grooming fall to pieces. "I hope you like that swivel chair you're sitting in sweetheart, because you're not going to be promoted out of it for a long, long time."

"you're a pillar of generosity, Kisuke, they should build a statue to you!"

"sure thing. Then I can be the one to decide which pigeons get to shit on me!"

Bad start to the week, on the heels of the bad week that had ended only two days before.

For Urahara, a good week was made up of days when cops were only called out to settle neighborhood disputes or enforce respect for the civil laws. The very existence of criminal law made no sense, since it implied that there were people twisted enough in this city to kill, rape, and steal - or even to kidnap a comatose patient from a hospital. He would have liked to think that after thirty years on the job he had seen everything. But every week the job seemed to yield some new example of human depravity.

"Yoruichi!" he yelled from his office.

"Yes, Kisuke?" she replied, her eyes glued to the daily police bulletin.

"I don't suppose you feel like getting some doughnuts?"

"Nope."

"oh, come on. I'm not going to be here much longer."

"Kisuke, the only way I'd get you doughnuts was if you were retiring tonight."

He jumped up from his chair and came to stand behind her. "now that's hitting below the belt."

"Hey, I thought that's where you liked it."

"know where I'm going to shove those doughnuts, ducky?"

"I'm a chick, not a duck."

"you're a ducky, and a beautiful one that cant even fly. Strangely however, you're my kind of duck. Chick. Whatever."

"go away. This bird is working."

"oh c'mon, why don't you put on your sweater and we'll go downstairs for coffee."

"and who's going to dispatch the calls?"

"sit tight, watch this."

He walked over to the young trainee stacking files at the far end of the room, grabbed his arm, and steered him across to his desk, just inside the front door.

"there you go, tiger, you sit on this nice swivel chair with armrests and coasters." Urahara then pointed to Yoruichi. "the lady here has just been promoted to barstool. You can swivel in this, but no more than two turns in the same direction. When the phone makes a noise, you pick it up and say, 'good morning, police headquarters, criminal justice division.' then you listen, you note everything down on one of these pads, and you don't leave to take a leak until we get back. And if anyone asks where Yoruichi is, tell them she's having female problems and was last seen running for the pharmacy. Think you can handle it?"

"if it lets me out of going for a coffee with you, I'll even scrub the shithouse, inspector!"

Urahara ignored the remark, grabbed Yoruichi's arm, and hustled her down the stairs.

"well, your grandma must have looked great in that sweater," he said, studying her with a grin. The red sweater Yoruichi was wearing had a holiday theme and was obviously hand-knit. But Yoruichi was also a wonderfully-built woman and the sweater was at least a size too small for her, and her breasts seemed intent on bursting through it. God, he loved her body, he couldn't deny it. How lucky he was to have found such a jewel working next to him five days a week for the past five years.

"It'll be so boring around here when they put you out to pasture, Kisuke!"

He took Yoruichi's arm, led her across the street, pulled two stools up to the ancient wooden bar, and ordered two lattes.

"was your weekend really that bad, you big ape?"

"Sweetheart, if you only knew how dull my weekends are. I'm bored shitless."

"was it because I didn't stay for breakfast on Sunday?"

He nodded.

"well, why didn't you go to a museum or something? Get out of the house."

"first thing that happens when I go to museums is I catch a pickpocket red-handed, and bingo, there I am back at the precinct."

"go to the movies then."

"I bust some underage kids sneaking into a R-rated flick."

"then take a walk."

"now there's an idea, I can go for a walk! That way I wont look like an asshole wandering down the street. 'So, what's up?' 'Nothing, I'm walking.' Yup, great way to spend your weekend. How's it going with your new boyfriend?"

"Nothing special, but he helps pass the time."

"you know what men's _one_ weak point is?" Urahara asked.

"No, what are _they_?"

"they get bored too easily, thrown off track. But I cant see how any man could be bored with a girl like you. If I were a few years younger, I'd write my name on all your dance cards."

"but you're years younger than you think, Kisuke."

"Do I take that as a come-on?"

"it's a compliment; at least that's something."

After they finished their lattes, Yoruichi rose. "now, I have work to do and you have to get to the hospital. They sounded frantic."

They parted ways, Urahara to his squad car and Yoruichi back to her desk.

When he reached Karakura General, Urahara introduced himself to Head Nurse Hitsugaya. He looked him up and down, from his five-o-clock shadow to the blonde hair that peeked out from beneath a green and white striped bucket hat.

"its unbelievable," he said, "nothing like this has ever happened here."

In the same serious tone, he told him that the chairman of the hospital board was extremely upset. He was sure he'd want to see the inspector that afternoon, before reporting back to the administrators early in the evening. "you will get her back, wont you, inspector?" asked Hitsugaya, weary of the inspectors appearance.

"Maybe, if you start by telling me everything from the beginning."

Hitsugaya told him the kidnapping had undoubtedly taken place during the shift change. No one had yet been able to contact the nurse who had been on duty, but the night nurse confirmed that the bed was empty when she had made her rounds at approximately 2 a.m. She had assumed that the patient had died and that the room had not yet been reassigned, following the traditional practice of leaving a bed unoccupied for twenty-four hours following a patients death. Not until Hitsugaya had made his first rounds had he realized that something was awry.

"did you ever think that maybe she woke from her coma and was fed up with this hotel and went for a walk? Natural enough when you've been in bed so long."

"I appreciate your wit, inspector, but why don't you share it with her brother? He's with one of our administrators right now, but he'll be here any minute."

"Yes, sure." Urahara stared at his toe caps. "if it's a kidnapping, what would anyone stand to gain?"

"what does that matter?" Hitsugaya answered irritably, as though they were wasting precious time.

"you know," he said, looking at him hard, "strange though it may seem, ninety-nine percent of crimes have a motive. Meaning that, in theory, you don't lift a comatose patient from a hospital on a Sunday night just for a laugh. And incidentally, you're sure she hasn't just been moved to another department?"

"I'm certain of it. The transfer documents are in reception. She was taken away in an ambulance."

"what company?" he asked, taking out his pencil.

"that's what's so odd. There isn't one."

He explained that when he'd come to work that morning, he had not immediately suspected a kidnapping. Informed that room 505 was free, he had gone straight to the reception desk to complain. He considered it unacceptable for a transfer to be authorized without first informing him. "but these days, you know, respect for your superiors? anyway, that's not the problem." the receptionist had shown him the documents, and he saw at once that something was wrong. One form was missing, and the blue form was filled out incorrectly. "I wonder how that idiot let this happen," he had said, mostly to himself.

Her name was Matsumoto, and she had been working at reception the previous night. "its because of her that we're in this mess."

Urahara was already drunk on Hitsugaya's narrative flow. Since he had not been present when the events occurred, he asked him for the names and phone numbers of all staff on duty at the time of the crime and took his leave.

He called Yoruichi from his car phone and asked her to request all the people named to drop by the precinct on their way to work.

By the end of the day he had interviewed them all and knew that late Sunday night a fake doctor wearing a coat stolen from a genuine doctor (a most unpleasant one apparently) had appeared at the hospital with an ambulance driver and fake transfer papers. The two accomplices had then, with the greatest of ease, kidnapped the body of deep-coma patient Rukia Kuchiki. But last-minute testimony from an intern caused Urahara to amend his report.

The fake doctor might in fact have been a genuine doctor: apparently, in an unexpected emergency, the intern had appealed to the suspect for help, and he had taken charge of the situation with great skill. According to the nurse who had also been present, the deftness with which the stranger had put in a central line had led her to believe that he was a surgeon, or at the very least that he worked in emergency services. Urahara asked whether an ordinary nurse could have performed the task. He was told that, yes, nurses were trained for that kind of procedure, but the choices the stranger had made, his instructions to the intern, and his dexterity would lead one to believe he was a physician.

Yoruichi was getting ready to go home when Urahara returned to the office. "so what have you got on this?" she asked.

"something that doesn't jibe. A doctor who kidnapped a woman in a coma from the hospital. A professional job, no way of identifying the ambulance he used, forged documents."

"what do you think?"

"I don't know. Maybe organ trafficking. They lift the body, take it to a secret lab, operate, remove what interests them - liver, kidneys, heart, lungs - and sell it to clinics that're short on cash and scruples."

He asked Yoruichi if she could get him a list of all the private clinics with operating facilities, particularly those in financial difficulty.

"listen, Kisuke, its six o'clock and I'd like to get home. It can wait till tomorrow, cant it? These clinic aren't going to file for chapter eleven tonight."

"see how fickle you are? This morning you were all ready to take me to the prom, and now you're turning down a night on the town with me. I need you, Yoruichi, give me a hand, will you?"

"God, Kisuke, what a manipulator you are. Anyway, in the mornings you don't even have the same voice."

"maybe, but its evening right now. Are you going to help me? Take granny's pullover off and come to Uncle Urahara's rescue."

"gee. When you put it that way, how can I refuse? Have a good evening Kisuke!"

"Yoruichi?"

"yes, Kisuke?"

"you're beautiful!"

"Urahara, my hearts not up for sale."

"I wasn't aiming so high, baby."

"did you make that up?"

"No!"

"didn't think so."

"okay then, go home, I'll manage."

Yoruichi walked to the door, then turned. "sure you'll be okay?"

"yeah, yeah, go feed your cat."

"I'm allergic to cats."

"so stay and help me."

"Night, Kisuke." she ran down the stairs, sliding her hand down the rail.

The one-man night shift got down to work. Urahara returned to his screen and connected to the mainframe. He tapped out the word _clinic on his keyboard and lit a cigarette as he waited for the search. A few minutes later his printer began to chatter as it spewed out some sixty printed sheets. Urahara grumpily retrieved the pile and took it to his desk. "well, is that all? And to find out which clinics are feeling the heat, all I have to do is contact a couple of hundred banks and ask for a list of private clinics seeking bank loans in the last ten months."_

He had been talking out loud, and from the gloom of the front door he heard Yoruichi's voice asking him, "why the last ten months?"

"cop's intuition," he said as he swung around in his chair, a big grin brightening his face. "why did you come back?"

"female intuition."

"well its real nice of you."

"all depends on where you take me for dinner. Think you have a lead?"

"I do, but it just looks too easy. What I need you to do is call central police headquarters and ask whether they've received any reports about ambulances missing on Sunday night. You never know, we might get lucky."

Yoruichi picked up the phone. The duty cop at the other end of the line carried out a search on his terminal, but told her there had been no such report. Yoruichi asked him to broaden his search beyond the city center, but again the screens drew a blank. The duty officer was sorry, but no emergency vehicle had been ticketed or reported missing on Sunday night. She asked him to get back to her if any new information came up, then turned again to Urahara.

"sorry, nothing."

"in that case lets go for dinner. The banks wont tell us anything at this hour."

They went to a small diner and sat by the window overlooking Main Street.

Urahara listened absentmindedly to Yoruichi.

"how long have we known each other, Kisuke?"

"long enough for you to still tolerate me, not long enough for you to be fed up." but Urahara was in no mood for banter, he couldn't stop thinking about the case. "this clinic thing doesn't work. I keep looking for the motives: where's the jackpot?"

"maybe the brother has some ideas. When are you seeing him?"

"tomorrow."

"or, maybe he's the one, maybe he's had it with going to the hospital every day."

"No, not a brother, much too risky."

"I mean that maybe he wanted to end it all. Having to see your sister in that state day after day. Maybe he just wanted to have it be over?"

"can you imagine a brother dreaming up a scenario like that to kill his own sister?"

"No, you're right, its just too twisted."

"without a motive we'll get nowhere."

"okay, lets go back to your clinic lead."

"I think that's a dead end too. It doesn't feel right. Stealing a body for its organs is just too high-visibility. They couldn't hope to do it again. Every hospital in the country would be on the alert, and I don't believe the price of one body is worth the risk. How much would I get for a kidney?"

"two kidneys, and a liver, a heart; I'd think around a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, maybe."

"a lot more expensive than a T-bone!"

"you're disgusting."

"and you see, that route doesn't lead anywhere either. A hundred and fifty grand would be no use to a clinic staring at hard times. This thing isn't about money."

"maybe its about availability," Yoruichi suggested.

"what do you mean?"

"a person might be allowed to live or die depending on the availability and compatibility of an organ. People were dying because they failed to receive in time the kidney or liver they needed. Anyone with sufficient financial resources could have mastermind the kidnapping of a person in an irreversible coma in order to save one of his children's lives, or his own."

Urahara found her theory credible but complicated. If they followed up on her theory, it would add substantially to the range of suspects - they would no longer necessarily be stalking a professional criminal. Many people might be tempted to do away with someone already acknowledged to be brain-dead, if it meant saving their own life or the life of their child. In that situation, someone might feel he was absolved of any intent to kill, given the ultimate purpose of his act.

"you think we'll have to do the rounds of all the clinics to identify a financially well-off patient who's been waiting for an organ donor?" she asked.

"I hope not, because it would be ball-breaking work, and in tricky terrain."

Yoruichi's cell phone rang. Apologizing to Urahara, she picked up, listened carefully, scribbled some notes, and thanked her caller several times.

"who was that?"

"the duty guy at control, the one I called a while ago."

"and?"

The officer had decided to send out a message to all night patrols, to make sure that no one had noted suspicious activity involving an ambulance, whether or not a report had been filed.

"and?"

"well it was a good decision, because a patrol did intercept and tail an ambulance that was driving around and around the Green, Main, Union, and Queen streets block last night."

"smells good. What did they say?"

"they stopped the ambulance driver and he told them the ambulance was going into retirement after ten years faithful service. They figured the driver had gotten attached to his vehicle and was putting off the moment he'd have to turn it in."

"what was the model?"

"A Ford 71."

Urahara made a swift mental calculation. If the Ford heading for the scrap yard last night after ten years service was really a 71, it must have been kept under plastic wraps for sixteen years before being put to work. The driver had given the officers a line. At last they were onto something.

"it gets better," Yoruichi said.

"how?"

"when the driver finally took the ambulance to the garage, they tailed him. They have the address."

"you know, Yoruichi, it's a good thing we're not a romantic item."

"why do you say that now?"

"because given the trouble this guy just went to in order to get this information to you, I'd have proof that you're cheating on me."

"you know what, Kisuke? You're a real idiot. I suppose you want to go there right away?"

"No. Tomorrow morning'll do. The garage must be closed, and without a warrant there's nothing I can do. And I'd as soon go there without attracting attention. Its not the ambulance I'm after, but the guys who used it. Better to go there as a tourist; that way, we wont send the rabbits scuttling for their burrows."

Urahara paid the check and they headed outside. "mind if we take a walk?" he asked. The ambulance had been spotted at an intersection close to the diner where they had eaten, and Urahara wanted to at least scan the area.

"you know what would really make me happy?" said Yoruichi.

"No, but you're about to tell me."

"if you'd come sleep at my place. I don't feel like sleeping alone tonight."

"do you have a toothbrush?"

"Yes - yours!"

"come on, lets go, I want to stay with you tonight. Its been a long time."

"it was just last Saturday."

"like I said."

By the time they switched off the lights a few hours later, Urahara told Yoruichi he was convinced he would solve the case.

"then you will," Yoruichi assured him. "as we know, when you're convinced of something, you're only wrong fifty percent of the time."

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i'll definitely get back to ichigo and rukia, if not next chapter then definitely the chapter after, but as you know, paradise isnt always perfect.

please review :)


	13. Chapter 13

standard disclaimers apply

okay new chapter for ya and yeah i know urahara and yoruichi might be weird but hey, their interaction here could be totally plausible right??? well nevermind back to the story and it will definitely be back to ichiruki focus next chapter. so enjoy XD

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Chapter 13

Tuesday was a productive day. Urahara had a long rather painful meeting with Byakuya Kuchiki and absolved him of all suspicion once he learned of the decision he and the doctors had come to themselves the previous week. The brother was obviously shattered, and he did not in any way strike him as the sort who could of organized such an operation.

Next, he had tracked down the offending vehicle at the garage. He was surprised when he first entered the establishment, which contained nothing but ambulances in various stages of repair. It was not the kind of place one could "drop by" unnoticed.

Forty mechanics and about a dozen clerical staff worked there. In all, over fifty potential suspects. The owner listened dutifully to the inspector and wondered what had possessed the perpetrators to return the vehicle instead of getting rid of it.

Urahara told her that a theft would have attracted the attention of the police, who would have made the necessary connections. One of the owner's employees was probably involved, Urahara suggested, and was hoping that the "loan" would go unnoticed.

"Now all we have to do is find which of them was the perpetrator."

"None of them," said the owner. "the lock showed no sign of being forced, and no one but me has a key to the night alarm."

Despite the owner's doubts, Urahara questioned the shop foreman about what might have led the "borrowers" to pick this particular make and was told that the 1971 Ford was the only one that could be driven like a regular car. That was one more reason for Urahara to believe that one of the staff was involved.

Asked whether it was possible for someone to take the key and make a double, the owner replied, "its conceivable, when we close the main entrance at noon."

So all of them were suspects. Urahara asked the owner for employee records. On top of the pile he put the folders of all the employees who had left in the past two years. When he returned to his office around two, Yoruichi was still not back from her lunch break. He buried himself in a detailed analysis of the fifty-seven brown folders he had put on his desk. Yoruichi arrived around three, sporting a new hairstyle and bracing herself for sarcastic comments.

"Not a word, Kisuke, you'll only say something stupid," she said before she had even put down her purse.

He looked up from his papers and smiled. Before he could say a thing, she came over and laid her finger on his lips to silence him. "something's come up that will grab you much harder than my hairdo, but I'll only tell you if you promise to hold the comments, okay?"

He mimicked the expression of someone with a gag over his mouth and grunted a mono-syllabic groan in agreement. Yoruichi withdrew her finger.

"the girls brother phoned. He remembered something that might be important to your inquiry, and he wants you to call him. He's at home, waiting to hear from you."

"but I love your hairdo, it really suits you," he protested as soon as she was finished.

Yoruichi smiled and retuned to her desk.

Over the phone, Byakuya told Urahara of his strange conversation with the man he had met by accident in the park a few days ago - the man who had lectured him so earnestly about the sanctity of life.

He repeated every detail of the encounter. How he had told him he was an architect; he claimed to have met Rukia in the emergency room after gashing his hand with a paper cutter. How he also claimed to have had lunch with his sister often since then. Byakuya did not believe he was really a friend of his sister's. Rukia had never mentioned him, though he said he had known her for two years. That last detail should certainly help his investigation, he added.

"well, well," murmured the policeman, "you want me to look for an architect who cut his hand two years ago, who claims that your sister stitched him up, and you believe we should suspect him because he talked to you about euthanasia in a chance meeting?"

"doesn't it strike you as a credible lead?"

"Not really, but I'll follow up all the same."

"so what do you think?" Yoruichi asked when he had hung up the phone.

"I think your hair looked nicer before."

"okay, okay, so it was a false alarm!"

Urahara returned to his folders, but not one of them yielded the slightest clue. Thoroughly exasperated, he picked up the phone, wedged it between his ear and chin, and dialed the number of the hospital switchboard. The operator picked up at the ninth ring.

"well the time it takes you to answer, a person could die!"

"if you want to do that, I can put you through to the morgue directly," the operator shot back.

Urahara identified himself and asked to be put through to administration. There, he asked whether hospital computers were able to conduct a search through emergency admissions, by profession and type of injury.

"it depends on the time frame you're interested in," the woman there told him, adding that, in any case, medical confidentiality prohibited her from giving out such information, particularly by phone.

He hung up on her, grabbed his raincoat, and walked to his car. Impatient, he crossed town, his flashing red light attached to the roof, siren howling. Scarcely ten minutes later, he was at Karakura General. He planted himself in front of the administrator's desk.

"you asked me to find a woman in a coma removed from this place on Sunday night, and now you tell me you cant give me information necessary to my investigation. Now, either you cooperate and can the crap about medical confidentiality or I drop the whole business."

"What do you want?" Head Nurse Hitsugaya appeared from a nearby doorway.

"I need to know if your computers can trace an architect who was apparently injured and treated here by your missing patient."

"what is the time frame?"

"lets say two years."

"we'll search through admissions for an architect. It will take a few minutes."

"I'll wait."

Hitsugaya returned ten minutes later. No architect had been treated for the injury in question in the past two years.

"you're sure?"

He was quite sure. Filling in the "Profession" box was mandatory for insurance purposes and to maintain the statistics on work-related injuries. Urahara thanked him. Well, that was one dead end followed through on, he thought to himself as he drove, sans lights and whistles, back to the precinct.

But the whole business about the architect and his conversation with the brother began to gnaw at him. When a clue bothered him this way, it was capable of monopolizing his full attention, making him forget all his other possible leads. He took his cell phone and called Yoruichi.

"find out if there's an architect living in the area where they spotted the ambulance."

"Green, Main and Queen?"

"and Union, but extend the search to cover the whole of Karakura."

"I'll call you back."

When he got back to the office, Yoruichi told him three architect firms and one architect's residence were in the specified area. Only the residence fell within the first perimeters. One of the firms was located on the next street, and the other two streets away. Urahara contacted the three firms to make a tally of the employees. There were twenty-seven in all.

At five-thirty in the afternoon he had over eighty suspects. One of these people could be waiting for an organ for himself or someone close to him.

He thought a moment, then turned to Yoruichi. "do we have any extra trainees hanging around?"

"we never have anyone to spare! If we did, I'd get home at a decent hour and wouldn't have live like an old maid."

"don't be so hard on yourself, kitten. Why don't you find me one and have him stake out the house belonging to the guy who lives in our area. See if he cant get me a photo when the guy gets home from work."

* * *

The next morning, Urahara learned that the trainee had drawn a blank. The man had not come home.

"Bingo," Urahara said to the young student inspector. "By tonight I want you to know everything about this man: how old is he, is he on drugs, was he in the service, where'd he go to school, where does he work, does he have a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a dog, a cat or a figgin' parrot? You can call the army, the FBI, I don't care, but we have to know everything."

"I happen to have a friggin' parrot inspector," the trainee retorted. "but I wont let that stop me."

The inspector spent the rest of the day morosely trying to make collective sense of the leads he was following. He found nothing to cheer him. While the ambulance had been identified by a stroke of fortune, non of the body-shop employee records pointed to a possible suspect. It meant that many hours of interviews awaited him, and that the chances of solving the crime undercover had disappeared. He would have to question all the architects and their employees working in the general area or living on the block the ambulance was circling on the night of the kidnapping.

And one of them would probably be a suspect because he had stroked the victim's brother's dog and stated his opposition to mercy killing - none of which, as Urahara admitted to himself, exactly constituted a kidnapping motive. A real "shit inquiry," as he thoughtfully put it.

* * *

That Wednesday morning, the sun rising over Rukongai shone through the faintest of mists. Rukia woke early. She left the bedroom to avoid waking Ichigo, still raging at her inability even to make breakfast for him. But she was infinitely grateful that he had somehow been able to touch her, to feel her, and even more amazingly, to love her as if she were a woman in full possession of her life. They had experienced together an amazing array of impossible things she decided to stop trying to comprehend. She recalled what Dr Ishida had told her one day:

"nothing's impossible. Only our mind's limitations tell us that certain things are beyond our understanding. Often, we have to solve a whole bunch of equations before we can accept new ideas. it's a question of time and of our brain's limitations. Performing a cardiac bypass, getting a three-hundred-and-fifty-ton aircraft to fly, walking on the moon - it all required work, of course, but more than anything else it took imagination."

Everything she was living and experiencing was illogical, beyond explanation, in violation of every scientific truth she had ever absorbed. It simply was.

And for the last two days she had been making love with a man and feeling emotions and sensations she had never known, even when she was alive, even when her body and soul were one. What was most important to her now, was that it continue.

She took herself over to the beach.

Ichigo woke shortly after she left. He searched for her throughout the house, then put on a bathrobe and strolled out the back and spotted her across the road, sitting on "their boulder." his arms were around her before she even realized he was there.

"quite a sight," he whispered in her ear.

"you know, I was thinking, since we cant plan for the future, we should close the suitcase and live in the present."

"today, I'll take you to watch the sea lions swimming over by the headland."

"real sea lions?"

"and seals, and pelican, and…." he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

* * *

Thursday morning, the trainee, with some ceremony, delivered the file he had compiled.

"what did you come up with?" Urahara asked before the trainee had even opened it.

"good news and bad news."

In a show of impatience verging on exasperation, Urahara tapped the knot of his necktie a couple of times: "one two, one two. Testing, testing. All systems go kid, the mike's working, its all yours!"

The trainee read out his notes. There was nothing unusual about his architect. He could not have been more normal: he did not take drugs, he was highly regarded in his profession, and naturally he had no police record. He had done his studies in Karakura and lived for a short time in Europe, before retuning to settle in his native city. He belonged to no political party, was a member of no sect, was an activist in no cause. He paid his taxes and his parking tickets and had never been stopped for driving under the influence or over the speed limit. "in other words, a dull dog."

"and what's the good news?"

"he doesn't even have a friggin' parrot."

"hells bells, I don't have anything against parrots, cut it out, will you? What else have you got in that report?"

"his last address, his photo - its kind of old, I got it from the Motor Vehicle Bureau, taken four years ago, his license comes up for renewal at the end of this year - an article he wrote for _Architectural Digest_, copies of his degrees, and a list of his bank holdings and real estate."

"how did you get your hands on that?"

"I have a pal in the tax bureau. This architect of yours is alone; his folks left him a house in Rukongai."

"think he's vacationing there?"

"Yes, he's there now. And in fact that house of his is actually the 'good news' I mentioned."

"what do you mean?"

"well, there's no phone there, which struck me as odd for such an isolated place. It was disconnected more than five years ago and has never been hooked up since. On the other hand, he had the power and water turned back on just last Friday. In other words, he went back to that house last weekend. Of course, that's no crime."

"but you're right: that last bit of news could ring the jackpot. You've done a great job. With a mind as twisted as yours, you'll make a fine cop."

"coming from you, I guess I should take that as a compliment."

"you sure can!" called Yoruichi.

"Now," Urahara instructed, "take that photo to the brother - I'll give you the address - and ask him if he's the guy at the park who doesn't like euthanasia. If he fingers him, we're onto something good and solid."

The trainee left the precinct and Urahara Kisuke buried himself in Ichigo's folder. An hour later, the trainee informed him that Byakuya had identified the man in the photo. But the real break came just as Urahara was taking Yoruichi out to lunch. It was sitting right under his nose, but he failed to make the connection. The kidnap victim's former address was the same as the young architect's. altogether too many clues for Ichigo not to be deeply involved.

* * *

"everything's coming together, you should be happy. So why are you pulling that face?" asked Yoruichi as she sipped her tea.

"because I still don't see what he could be after. This guy doesn't have the profile of a nut. You don't go swipe a comatose body from the hospital just to give your friends a laugh. You have to have a real reason. Besides, according to the folks at the hospital, not just anyone can place a central bridge."

"its central _line. _Not a bridge. Was he her boyfriend?"

Byakuya had sworn he was not. He was almost certain they had never met.

"some connection through the apartment?" asked Yoruichi.

Not that either, the inspector said. Ichigo had rented the place, and according to the real estate people, he had landed there by pure chance. He was on the point of signing for another apartment on West, but at the last moment a zealous Realtor insisted on showing him this apartment that had just come onto their listing that day.

"so there's no premeditation in the choice of address."

"No, it's a genuine coincidence."

"then is he really the guy?"

"I cant say that," Urahara answered thoughtfully. Taken separately, none of their findings implicated Ichigo. What was disturbing was the way the separate pieces of the puzzle fit together. With that said - and in the absence of a motive - Urahara could do nothing. "you cant charge a guy because for the last few months he's been renting the apartment of a woman who was kidnapped early this week. At least, I'm going to have trouble finding a district attorney who'll go along."

Yoruichi suggested that Urahara call him in for questioning, grill him a little.

The cop chuckled, "I can just hear myself: 'sir, you rent the apartment of a young woman in a coma who was kidnapped on Sunday night. You had the water and electricity turned back on in your weekend house on the Friday preceding the crime. Why?' and he looks right back at me and says he isn't absolutely sure he understands my question. All I can do is tell him candidly that he's my only lead, and that it would make my day if he really had pulled off this kidnapping."

"so take two days off and tail him."

"without a court order, anything I bring back will be null and void."

"not if you bring the body back, and its still alive."

"you believe its him?"

"I believe in your nose, I believe in our leads, and I believe that when you're wearing that expression, it means you know how to nail him. Kisuke, the most important thing is to find the girl. She may be in a coma, but she's still a hostage. Pay the check and head for Rukongai!"

"whatever you say, boss." suddenly energized, Urahara rose, kissed Yoruichi's cheek, dropped a couple of bills on the table, and hurried out to the street. During the drive to Rukongai, Urahara analyzed, again and again, the architect's possible motives. And he planned how he would approach his prey without arousing suspicions.

* * *

well hope you're enjoying the story so far. please review mkay XD


	14. Chapter 14

standard disclaimers apply

heya sorry ive taken so long to update, just got a bit of the lazy bug and couch potatoed it all easter weekend hehe. i'll dedicate this chapter to detroitbleachwings and black sun upon an icy sky for kick starting my butt into gear and giving me back my mojo(jojo - lolz sorry just had to say it) to update this story, im gonna try to keep updating regularly and as a promise i'll update again tomorrow after work :)

keep on bleaching XD

* * *

Chapter 14

Little by little, the house came back to life again. Ichigo and Rukia went from room to room, opening shutters, stripping dust sheets from the furniture, polishing and throwing open closet after closet.

Thursday was overcast, and down at the foot of the garden the ocean hurled itself at the rocks as if they were blocking its way. At the end of the day, Rukia settled down on the veranda and gazed at the drama unfolding below. The water had turned gray, with seaweed and matted pine needles bobbing on its surface. The sky darkened to purple, then black. Rukia loved watching nature fly into a rage.

Ichigo sat down on the cushions lining the glassed-in bay window near Rukia and looked over at her.

"you realize that's the ninth time you've changed since breakfast?"

"I know, its because of the magazine you bought. I cant make my mind up, its all so fantastic!"

"there's not a woman on earth who doesn't fantasize at the chance to shop the way you do!" he eyed her from head to toe. "you may look great in all that, but come here."

Later, tenderly wrapped around each other, bodies and minds at rest, they remained out in the dark, snuggled close, to watch the ocean. At last they fell asleep, lulled by the rhythm of the ebbing tide.

Urahara arrived at nightfall and checked in at the Rukongai Inn. The receptionist clerk gave him keys to a small room facing the road. He had barely started to unpack when it started to rain. He stared as the drops fell on the charming streets of the tourist village. Although he lived a mere 120 miles away, he had never been here before. As he stood looking out the window, he felt an urge to call Yoruichi. He should have brought her with him. He lifted the phone, took a deep breath, then softly replaced it without dialing the number. He ordered some dinner from room service, settled down to watch a movie, and was overcome by sleep well before ten.

He awoke the next morning with the rising sun. By eight he had located Ichigo's house. By nine the sun had mustered enough ardor to scatter the clouds. At eleven, from his roost up on the ridge, through the pair of long-range binoculars, Urahara spied Ichigo come out the front door and go to the garage.

Ichigo stood facing a tarpaulin thick with dust. He raised it and saw the long lines of a 1961 Ford station wagon. Under the covers it looked like a mint-condition collector's item a woody from the early surfer days. Smiling as he remembered his father's fastidiousness, Ichigo walked around the car and opened the left rear door. The smell of old leather filled his nostrils. He could almost hear the motor purr. He sat in the passenger seat, rolled down the window, poked his head out, and felt his hair being blown back by the wind of memories. He stuck out his arm, bending his elbow, and his hand became an airplane. He tilted it to modify the take-off, felt it swoop up to the garage roof and nosedive back down again. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a small note attached to the steering wheel:

_Ichigo, if you feel like starting her up, you'll find a battery charger on the shelf to the right. Step on the gas twice before you switch the engine on. That will start the gasoline flowing. don't be surprised if it starts with just a quarter turn: that's quite normal for a 1961 Ford. For inflating the tires, the pump is in its box under the charger. A big hug, dad._

He got out of the car, shut the door, and walked to the utility shelf. Then he saw the rowboat in the corner of the garage. He approached it and stroked it with his fingertips. Beneath its wooden rowing bench was a long-decayed, baited hook, one of his, the green thread wound around the small cork spool with a rusted hook at the end of it. He marveled at his dad's sentimentality as he located the charger in the opposite corner, opened the Ford's hood, connected the cables, and began charging the battery. As he left the garage, he rolled the doors back and left them wide open.

Urahara's eyes never left his suspect. He watched him set up a table under the arbor, sit down to breakfast, then clear the table. When Ichigo sank onto the cushions in the shade of the patio, Urahara took a sandwich break. When Ichigo returned to the garage, Urahara followed his movements. He heard the sound of the tire pump and then, much more distinctly, the roar of the V-6 engine starting up after a couple of coughs. He watched the car in admiration as it rolled to a stop by the porch. At four-thirty, just as dusk was coming on, he decided to break off his vigil and get back to the village to glean more information about this odd character.

He called Yoruichi.

"so," she said, "are you getting somewhere?"

"nowhere. Nothing abnormal. Well, almost nothing. He's on his own, he busies himself all day long, he cleans up, fixes things, takes lunch and dinner breaks. I've talked to the local merchants. The house belonged to his mother, who died years ago. His father went on looking after the house until a few years ago when he moved overseas. None of that gets me very far. He has every right to reopen the house whenever he wants to."

"you said 'almost nothing'?" Yoruichi prompted.

Urahara admired her. She never missed a trick.

"because he has some strange habits. He talks to himself, he behaves at his meals as though someone were with him. Sometimes he sits looking at the sea with his arm held out straight for ten minutes."

"what else?"

"at one point he looked like he was giving a girl a long, slow kiss - except that he was alone."

"maybe he was reliving his dreams in his own way?"

"there's a whole lot of 'maybes' about this guy."

"do you still think he's got something to do with it?"

"I don't know, in any case there's something not right about his behavior."

"not right?"

"he's unbelievably calm for someone who's guilty."

"so you still believe its him."

"I'll give myself another day, then I'm coming back. Tomorrow I'm going to pay him a little visit."

"be careful!"

He hung up, his face thoughtful.

That afternoon, after they had cared for Rukia's body together, Ichigo sat at the piano and ran his fingertips along the keys. Although it was no longer in tune, he had made a start on _Werther's "Claire de lune," _avoiding a couple of notes that were now truly discordant. It had been his mother's favourite piece.

He talked to Rukia as he played. She was sitting in her favourite position on the window seat, one leg lying along the sill, the other folded beneath her, her back against the wall.

"Ichigo, how long do you intend to go on neglecting the rest of your life?" Rukia asked suddenly.

"do we really have to talk about this right now?"

"I may remain in this condition for years. Do you realize what you're getting into? What about your work, your responsibilities, your world?"

"what do you mean by my world? I don't have a world. Listen, Rukia, we've been here less than a week and I haven't taken a vacation in two years…so give me a little time."

You certainly do have a world. We all do. Loving one another isn't enough for two people to make a success of sharing a life - they have to be compatible, they have to meet one another at the right moment. And that isn't really the case with you and me."

"have I told you lately that I love you?" he asked timidly.

"you've given me proof of your love. That's much better. I don't believe in chance anymore, you know. There's a reason you're the only being on the planet who can hear me. And we got along so well from the very start, at least as soon as you accepted my story. And since then I have this feeling that somehow you know all about me…and always have." she paused. "what I want to know is why do you offer me the best of yourself, when you get so little from me?"

"because all of a sudden there you were, you exist, and just one moment with you is the whole world to me. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow doesn't yet exist. It's today that counts, it's the present. And so I have only one option - to do everything I can to stop you from dying, and to keep you with me."

But that was the problem, Rukia said. Ahead of them was the unknown, and she was terrified of what doesn't yet exist.

"tomorrow's a mystery for everyone, a mystery that should bring us laughter and curiosity, not fear and rejection." he took her head in his hands, kissed her eyelids, and pressed her to him. "we have now, we have this night, and that's everything to me."

Ichigo was cleaning out the old Ford's trunk the next morning when he noticed a dust trail on the crest of the ridge. Urahara drove recklessly down the track and stopped his car by the porch.

"good morning, can I help you?"

"I drove here from the seventy-eighth district," Urahara said after he'd gotten out of the car and was holding his hand out for Ichigo to shake. "the realtor told me this house was unoccupied, and since I'm looking to buy around here, I thought I'd come and see it. But apparently its already been sold, I'm too late."

Ichigo replied that the house had not been sold, nor was it for sale; it was his mother's house, and he had just opened it up. The day was drizzly, and Ichigo decided this was an opportunity to show Rukia he could still be "normal." He asked Urahara if he would like to come in for a cup of tea. The old cop declined, saying he did not want to be anymore of a nuisance, but Ichigo insisted and asked him to take a seat on the veranda; he would be back in five minutes. He closed the rear hatch of the station wagon, disappeared into the house, and returned with a tray, two cups and a teapot.

"it's a beautiful house," said Urahara as he looked around. "there cant be to many more like it around here."

"I don't know. I haven't been back here for years."

"what brought you back all of a sudden?"

"I figured it was time."

"just like that, no particular reason?"

Ichigo was suddenly uneasy. This stranger was asking excessively personal questions, as though he knew something he didn't want to reveal. Ichigo felt he was being manipulated. But he failed to make the connection with Rukia, believing he was dealing with an entrepreneur of some kind who was bent on forging links with a "future victim."

"in any case," Ichigo said, "I have no intention of selling it."

"you're right: you don't sell a family home. That would be almost sacrilege."

Ichigo was becoming increasingly suspicious, and Urahara, sensing this, decided it was time to beat a retreat. He announced he was going so that Ichigo could go back to his business. In any case, he had to get back to the village "to look for another house." He thanked Ichigo warmly for his hospitality, and both men rose. Urahara got into his car, turned the engine on, and drove off with a wave.

Rukia appeared on the porch. "what did he want?"

"to buy this house, or so he said."

"I don't like it."

"Neither do I, but I'm not sure why."

"do you think he's a cop?"

"No, I think you're being a bit paranoid. I don't see how anyone could have tracked us down. I think he was some kind of business promoter, or a realtor checking out the territory. Don't worry. Now, I have those errands to run. Are you staying or coming with me?"

"I'm coming."

Twenty minutes after Ichigo pulled out in the Ford, Urahara came back down the track on foot. Reaching the house, he checked the front door and found it was locked, then made a tour of the ground-floor windows. None of them was open, but only one set of shutters was closed. Just one room closed - enough for the old cop to draw conclusions. He did not linger on the premises but returned quickly to his car. Picking up his cell phone, he called Yoruichi. It was a productive conversation. Urahara told her he still lacked proof and clues, but he knew instinctively that Ichigo was guilty. Yoruichi had no doubts about Urahara's intelligence when it came to grasping the right lead, but pointed out that without a court order Urahara had no right to lean on the man, particularly in the absence of a credible motive. He was sure that Ichigo's motive was the key to resolving the mystery. And it had to be a substantial one for an apparently balanced individual, in no particular financial need, to take such a big risk.

But Urahara could not yet see his way to a solution. He had considered all the traditional reasons, and none of them held water. Now he decided to bluff. He would bombard Ichigo with false assertions on the off chance of getting at the truth, blindsiding his adversary and surprising him into a reaction or words that would either confirm or invalidate Urahara's suspicions. He started the car, drove onto the property, and parked in front of the porch.

Ichigo returned an hour later and, as he stepped from the Ford, stared hard at Urahara. The cop came over to meet him.

"I have two things to tell you," said Ichigo. "first, the house is not and will not be for sale. And second, this is private property."

"I know, and I couldn't care less if its for sale or not. Time I introduced myself." Urahara pulled out his badge and thrust it in Ichigo's face as he said, "I need to talk to you."

"I believe that's what you're doing,"

"may I come in?"

"no, not without a warrant."

"you're making a mistake, playing it this way."

"you made the mistake, bullshitting to me. I welcomed you and gave you a drink."

"can we at least sit on the porch?"

"we can, go ahead."

The two of them sat on the swing seat. Rukia, standing by the steps, was terrified. Ichigo reassured her with one of his smirks, to let her know he was in command and she had no need to worry.

"tell me what your motive is, that's where I'm stuck." Urahara launched right into his suspicions.

"my motive for what?"

"I'm going to be very frank with you. I know it's you."

"at the risk of seeming a little bit simple, yes, its true, its me. I've been me ever since I was born, never any problems with schizophrenia. What on earth are you talking about?"

He was talking, Urahara said, about Rukia Kuchiki. He accused Ichigo of stealing her, with the help of an accomplice and an old ambulance, from Karakura General Hospital last Sunday night. Urahara told him he had tracked the ambulance to a repair shop. He claimed he was convinced that the body was here in this house, and more precisely in the only room whose shutters were closed. "what I don't understand is why. That's what's been bugging me. You know, I've been doing this for years, I'm only a few months from retirement, and believe me, I do not want to end my career on an unsolved case. Frankly I don't give a damn about putting you behind bars. I've don't that all my life, slinging folks into the can so they can come out again a few years later and start over. The most you'd get for this job is five years, so I don't care, but I do want to understand why."

Ichigo pretended not to grasp a word of what the policeman was saying. "what's all this about a body and an ambulance?"

"I'm going to waste as little of your time as possible. Would you agree to let me see that room with the closed shutters without a search warrant?"

"No!"

"why not, if you have nothing to hide?"

"because that room, as you call it, was my mother's, and ever since her death its been locked. Its sacred to me, like a shrine, its just as she left it. that's why the shutters are closed. Its been shut up for more than twenty years, and I'm only going to cross the threshold when I'm alone and when I'm ready. I'm certainly not going to do it for some crazy cop who thinks I'm a criminal." Ichigo rose. "I hope I've made myself clear."

"fair enough. Guess I'll be running along, then."

"yes, please do."

Urahara rose and walked to his car. As he opened the door, he turned and looked at Ichigo straight in the eye, hesitated a moment, then decided to see his bluff through.

"if you want to visit that place in the strictest privacy, which I understand, you'd better do it tonight. Because I don't give up. I'll be back tomorrow with a warrant, and it'll be to late then for you to do it alone. Of course, you can decide to move the body during the night, but I'm better at the cat-and-mouse stuff than you. Like I said, I've been at it for years, and you'd be opening the door to a nightmare. I'm leaving my card and cell phone number on the rail here, just in case you have something to tell me."

"you'll never get a warrant!"

"you do your thing, I'll do mine. See you."

With a squeal of brakes, Urahara sped away.

Ichigo stood rooted to the spot for several minutes, his heart beating a tattoo of terror.

* * *

well i'll defintely try to keep my motivation going and update as soon as possible, but not much to go now and i cant wait to get these last few chapters up as they are sooo nail biting(?) lolz i'll let you guys decide for yourself. please r n r :)


	15. Chapter 15

standard disclaimers apply

hiya sorry i didnt update yesterday as promised, just been flat out at work with a decorating competition against all the other departments and yesterday was our final day before judging, and yay we tied for first place woop woop, now that that's officially over (YUSSSS!!!) I can put more effort into updating more often. soooo having said that, i will definitely update tomorrow peeps

soooooo keep on bleaching XD

* * *

Chapter 15

"you have to tell him the truth and try to cut a deal with him!" Rukia said.

"we have to hurry and find a new place to hide your body."

"no you cant! He'll be lurking around here somewhere, watching us, and he'll catch you in the act. Stop it Ichigo, this is your life! You heard him, you're risking five years in prison."

But Ichigo had a hunch that the cop was bluffing. Without evidence, he would never get a warrant.

"you still have a chance of wriggling out of this. If you save him time in his inquiry, if you give him the answer to his question, maybe he will offer you some kind of plea bargain. Do it now, or it'll be to late," she begged.

"its _your _life that's at stake."

"Ichigo, be reasonable, you're just postponing the inevitable. Darling, you have to accept this. You said so this morning, that you believed all this has happened for a reason. You have no choice. You have to tell him the truth."

Ichigo turned his back on her and went back to unloading the trunk of the station wagon. For the rest of the day, the atmosphere between them remained tense. They scarcely spoke or even looked at one another.

Later that afternoon she came to stand in his path and put her arms around him.

He gazed at her tenderly. "I cant let them take you, you understand that, don't you?"

She understood, she said, but she could never agree to let him put himself at more risk. "Ichigo, we're still together now. I'm still right here. You keep telling me not to think of tomorrow, so lets enjoy this moment, which is still truly ours."

"but I cant experience the moment without thinking of the one to come."

Rukia decided they should play a game. "it's a great game, and it will take your mind off all this. Now, imagine that you've won a contest, and your prize is that every morning a bank will open an account in your name containing eighty-six thousand four hundred dollars. And there are only two rules you must follow: the first rule is that everything you fail to spend is taken from you that night. You cant cheat, you cant switch the unspent money to another account: you can only spend it. But when you wake next morning, and every morning after that, the bank opens a new account for you, always eighty-six thousand four hundred dollars, for the day. Rule number two: the bank can break off the game without warning. It can tell you at any time that its over, that its closing the account and there wont be another one. Now, what would you do?"

Ichigo was not sure he understood.

"its very simple: every morning when you wake up, they give you eighty-six thousand four hundred dollars, on the sole condition that you spend it in one day. If you don't spend it all by the time you go to bed, you lose the unused balance. But this game- this windfall - can stop at any moment, understand? So my question is, what would you do if you were handed this prize?"

He didn't have to think long to answer. He would spend every dollar on pleasure and on gifts for the people he loved. He'd find a way to use up every cent offered by this "magic bank account" to bring happiness into his life and the lives of everyone around him. "and even the lives of people I don't know, because I don't think I'd manage to spend so much money just on me and my loved ones in a single day. But what does this game prove?"

She answered, "we all have that magic bank account: its time. A big account, filled with fleeting seconds. Every morning when we wake up, our account for the day is credited with eighty-six thousand four hundred seconds, and when we go to sleep every night, there's no carryover into the next day. What hasn't been lived during the day is lost; yesterday has vanished. Every morning the magic begins again, with a new line of credit of eighty-six thousand four hundred seconds. And don't forget: we're still playing by that rule. The bank can close our account at any time and without warning. At any moment, life can end. So what do we do with our daily ration of eighty-six thousand four hundred seconds? Sit here and argue and worry? I beg you Ichigo, lets make the most of all the seconds we have left."

Since her accident, she told him, she had realized afresh each day how few people understand and appreciate the importance of time. "if you want to understand what a year of life means, ask a student who just flunked his end-of-year exams. Or a month of life: speak to a mother who has just given birth to a premature baby and is waiting for him to be taken out of the incubator before she can hold him safe and sound in her arms. Or a week: interview a man who works in a factory or a mine to feed his family. Or a day: ask two people madly in love who are waiting for their next rendezvous. Or an hour: talk to a claustrophobia sufferer stuck in a broken-down elevator. Or a second: look at the expression on the face of a man who has just escaped from a car wreck. Or one-thousandth of a second: ask the athlete who just won silver medal at the Olympic games, and not the gold he trained for all his life. Life is magic Ichigo, and I know what I'm saying because since my accident I appreciate the value of every instant. So I beg you, lets make the most of all the seconds that we have left."

Ichigo put his arms around her and said softly into her ear, "each second with you is worth more than any other second."

They spent the rest of the afternoon in each other's arms before the fire. At around 6 pm, they were interrupted by the doorbell. It was Urahara again: he wanted to apologize for his behavior. Ichigo hesitated, not knowing if the man was still trying to manipulate him or if he was sincere. On the spur of the moment, he invited him to come in and have dinner with him. Perhaps he was hoping it would make him seem stronger and more composed than Urahara. Rukia watched as Urahara entered, but Ichigo didn't see her melancholy smile.

Ichigo set two places and served Urahara a Caesar salad with strips of grilled chicken and even served a good bottle of wine.

"this is so nice of you. I didn't expect you to go to all this trouble."

"what causes me trouble, inspector, is that you're bothering the hell out of me with your ridiculous theories."

"if they're as ridiculous as you claim, I wont be bothering you much longer. So, you're an architect?"

"you know I am."

"what kind of architecture?"

"my real love is restoring historic buildings and interiors."

"which means?"

"giving new life to old houses, trying to find the perfect match between a clients personality and a style of decoration and furnishing. I love to restore a place to its former glory but adapt it to modern life."

Urahara lured his suspect onto a topic that enthralled him. What Urahara soon discovered, somewhat to his surprise, was that Ichigo's genuine passion for his work was contagious. The inspector fell into his own trap: having set out to arouse Ichigo's interest and forge some basis of communication, he found his own interest aroused. Ichigo gave him a crash course on the history of Karakura's architecture, with a glimpse of modern and contemporary developments thrown in. the old cop was mesmerized; he asked question after question and Ichigo answered them all. Their conversation went on for more than an hour. Urahara learned how his own city was rebuilt after the big earthquake; he heard the history of the buildings he saw every day; he listened to anecdotes that illustrated how the houses we live in are shaped by the demands of the geology and climate.

As the cups of coffee followed one after the other, Rukia listened, stunned by the unexpected kinship springing up between Ichigo and the inspector.

As Ichigo finished a story about the construction of Karakura High School, Urahara interrupted him. Taking his green striped bucket hat off his head, he said, "Ichigo, I need to talk to you man to man, and not in my professional capacity." Urahara put his badge on the table and took a deep breath. "as I told you, I've done this for many years, and my instinct has never let me down. I'm absolutely certain that Rukia Kuchiki's body is right now hidden in the shuttered room at the end of that hall. What I still don't understand is why. What's your motive for kidnapping a comatose body from the hospital?" he looked at Ichigo, but Ichigo remained silent. "you know, you seem like a great guy. You're kind, good-looking, although you scowl way too much, you're well educated, interesting, passionate about your work. You've got everything going for you. So why would you do such a crazy thing as steal a body of a woman in a coma? I just don't get it."

Ichigo stood up. "its too bad. I thought we were really becoming friends."

"we are, that's the point! That has nothing to do with it - or maybe it has everything to do with it. I'm sure you have genuinely good reasons for what you did, and I'm offering to help you.

"I'll be completely honest with you. For starters, I cant get a warrant today: I don't have sufficient evidence. I'll have to go see the judge in Karakura, negotiate with him, convince him, but rest assured I'll get it. It might take two or three days, enough time for you to move the body. And I guarantee that if you do that, you're going to ruin your life." Urahara paused. "right now, there's still time for me to help you, and I'm willing to do that, provided you talk to me and explain to me why."

Ichigo's reply was tinged with sarcasm. "I appreciate your kindness and your generous offer, and I'm really quite surprised that you feel you know me so well after just spending a few hours with me. However, I too fail to understand something. I don't understand you. Here you are, a guest in my home, I've welcomed you in, made you a meal, yet you stubbornly persist in accusing me - without any proof - of an utterly absurd crime."

"you're the one who's stubborn."

"why do you want to help me if you think I'm guilty? Just to get another case solved?"

The old cop's reply was sincere. In his career, he had known plenty of cases, crimes of all types, with hundreds of motives, ranging from sordid to silly. But there had always been a common thread between the perpetrators - they were criminals, nuts, maniacs, troublemakers. With Ichigo, that did not seem to be the case. So if now, after spending his whole life putting bad guys behind bars, Urahara could help a decent man avoid that fate, "I'd at least have the feeling for once I was working on the right side of the tracks."

"that's very nice of you, and I mean that. I enjoyed our conversation, but the situation you describe doesn't apply to me. I'm not throwing you out, but I have work to do. Perhaps we'll get a chance to talk again."

Urahara acquiesced with a mournful nod. He got up and retrieved his raincoat. Rukia followed them down the hall leading to the front door.

Outside Masaki's room, Urahara stopped, his eyes on the door handle.

"sometimes its hard to go back into the past, it takes a lot of strength, a lot of courage."

"yes I know, that's just what I'm trying to work up."

"I know I'm not mistaken about you, Ichigo. My instinct has never failed me."

Ichigo was on the point of asking Urahara to leave when the door handle to his mother's room began to turn, as though someone were moving it from the inside. Then the door opened. Ichigo was stupefied. Rukia stood in the doorway, smiling sadly.

"why did you do that?" he murmured, his voice choked.

"because I love you."

From where he stood, Urahara at once saw the body on the bed, the IV tubing suspended above.

* * *

shorter chapter but ooooh big cliffie, stay tuned to see what happens and please read n review XD


	16. Chapter 16

standard disclaimers apply

well back again with another chapter for yall, especially after that last cliffie (hehe) oh and just a note, if you ask me questions in your review and i dont reply, i pretty much assume its rhetorical :P so with that said and done

keep on bleaching XD

* * *

Chapter 16

"thank God, she's alive." He walked over to the bed and knelt beside it.

Rukia put her arms around Ichigo and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

"I couldn't let you ruin the rest of your life for me. I want you to live free, I want you to be happy."

"you are my happiness."

She put a finger on his lips. "no, not like this, not under these circumstances."

"who are you talking to?" asked the inspector.

"to her."

"well then, now you must put me in the picture if you want me to help you."

Ichigo looked despairingly at Rukia.

"you have to tell him the whole truth," she urged. "he may believe you and he may not, but tell him the truth."

Ichigo turned to Urahara. "come on, lets go to the living room. I'm going to tell you everything."

The two men sat on the big couch and Ichigo told the whole story. He began with that first evening, when an unknown woman hiding in his bathroom closet said to him,

_what I have to tell you is not easy to understand, impossible to accept. But if you will listen to my story - if you are willing to trust me - then maybe in the end you'll believe me. And its very important that you in particular should believe me. For without knowing it, your are the only person in the world I can share my secret with._

Urahara heard him through to the end without interrupting. When he finished his story, Ichigo looked challengingly at his companion.

"you see inspector, a story like this just adds another nutcase to your collection!"

"is she here, is she nearby?"

"she's sitting in the chair across from you, and she's looking at you."

Urahara rubbed the bristles on his chin and nodded. "of course. Of course."

"what are you going to do now?" asked Ichigo.

Urahara didn't speak for a while, then he sighed and softly said, "I'm going to believe you." he paused a moment to let Ichigo take that in. "and if you want to know why, the answer is simple. Because to make up such a story and take the risks you've taken, you would have had to have lost your mind completely. And the man who talked to me about the history of the city I have served for so many years was definitely not demented. Your story has to be incredibly true for you, otherwise you couldn't have done what you did. I don't believe in God much, but I do believe in the human spirit. Anyway, I'm about to retire - and I want more than anything to believe you, crazy though it seems."

"so what are you going to do?"

"can I take her back to the hospital in my car without causing her any harm?"

"yes, if you're careful," said Ichigo, his voice full of distress.

"in that case, I'll keep my end of the bargain: I'll get you out of this mess."

"but I don't want to be separated from her, I don't want them to let her die!"

"that's a whole different battle, my friend. I cant do everything." Urahara said he was already taking a big risk by returning the body. And he had exactly the rest of this night and a more than 100 mile drive to come up with a good reason for finding the victim without having any leads on her kidnapper. Since she was alive and suffered no harm, he believed he could arrange to have Rukia's case classified as solved. There was nothing much else he could do, "but that's already a lot, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, that's a lot," said Ichigo. "thank you."

"I'm going to leave you two alone for the night. I'll be back tomorrow around eight. Make sure she's ready to be moved."

"why are you doing this?"

"I already told you, because I like you and respect you. I'll never know if your story is true or if you dreamed it. In any case, from your perspective, you acted in her best interests. A man might almost be persuaded that you were protecting her. Some might go as far as to call it rendering assistance to a person in danger. I don't give a shit. People who posses true courage do the thing that's right. They act when the time comes without considering the consequences." Urahara rose. "well, enough talk."

Ichigo followed him into the dark night. A light mist welcomed them as they went out.

"see you tomorrow." Urahara said, and drove off.

~ll~

Ichigo could not sleep and at first light he went to Masaki's study. He got Rukia's body ready for the journey, then went up to his bedroom to pack his things. He walked through the house, closed all the shutters, turned off all the gas and electricity. "we'll follow Urahara back to our apartment. I know you cant be away from your body for more than a few hours without feeling tired. We'll just have to go on as we were before and hope this has convinced your brother to keep you alive."

The inspector arrived at the appointed hour. Within fifteen minutes, Rukia's body was wrapped in blankets and propped in the backseat of the policeman's car. Soon, the two vehicles were heading back to the city.

Urahara kept his promise. He deposited his passenger in the emergency room of Karakura General Hospital at 11.17 that morning. Less than an hour later, Rukia's body was back in room 505.

The inspector returned to the precinct and went straight to his chief's office and spent over two hours talking there. Nobody ever learned what was said between the two men. But when Urahara returned to his office, he went straight to Yoruichi's desk and dropped a fat folder on it. Looking her straight in the eye, he told her to stamp it CASE CLOSED and file it away. When she looked at him questioningly, he added gruffly, "and please don't ask me how, because I wont be able to tell you without thinking I should have retired last week."

He then went back to the hospital, to talk to Rukia's brother.

~ll~

Ichigo and Rukia returned to the Green Street apartment. They spent the afternoon in the park, walking through the surrounding trees. After everything that had happened, they hoped that Rukia's brother might have reversed his decision. They ate dinner at a small restaurant and returned home around 10 pm to watch a movie on television

Their life together seemed to assume a normal course, so much so that with each passing day they were increasingly able to forget their predicament.

In the mornings, Ichigo dropped in at his office to sign papers. He and Rukia would spend the rest of the day together, going to movies, taking long walks along the pathways of the park. They spent one weekend at Kagamino City, in the house of a friend who lent it to Ichigo. Another day they enjoyed sailing and hopping from creek to creek in the Bay.

They went to performances in the city - music hall, ballet, concerts, theatre. Time passed by the way it does during a lazy vacation, and they pandered to their every whim. They lived in the moment, without projecting, drawing a veil over tomorrow. They thought of nothing except what was happening in the present. Remembering Rukia's game, they called their philosophy "seconds theory." Strangers passing by assumed that Ichigo was crazy when they saw him walking with one arm outstretched or talking to himself. The waiters in the restaurants they frequented were accustomed to this man who sat alone at the table who suddenly leaned over and mimed taking a hand and kissing it, or talked softly to someone who was invisible to everyone else present, or stood back at a doorway to let a nonexistent companion pass through. Some thought he had lost his mind, others that he was a widower living in the shadow of his deceased wife. Ichigo had stopped noticing; he was relishing every instant that was weaving the fabric of their love. They were now lovers, friends, companions for life. His partner, Uryu, was no longer worried. He managed to rationalize his friend's behavior during the crisis. Relieved that the kidnapping had had no repercussions, Uryu focused on managing their office, convinced that his friend would one day return to his senses, and life would resume its routine pattern.

The couple's idyll continued undisturbed for a few weeks. One Thursday night, they had gone to bed after a tranquil evening at home. After making love, they shared the last lines of a novel they were reading together because Ichigo had to turn the pages for Rukia. They fell asleep late in one another's arms.

At about six the next morning, Rukia suddenly sat up in bed and called Ichigo's name. he woke with a start. Rukia was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her skin pale, almost transparent.

"what's wrong?"

"hold me, Ichigo, quickly. Don't let me go!"

He did as she asked and wrapped his arms around her. Ichigo felt Rukia's body becoming less solid in his arms. It was as if she were gradually vaporizing before him.

"Rukia" - he looked at her face, alarmed - "do you feel anything?"

"keep holding me, Ichigo." he held her as closely as he could, pressed the length of her body to his. He was shaking with terror. Her eyes were wide with fear as she said, "its time, my love, I'm fading away. I'm disappearing."

"No!" he tightened his arms around her.

"God, I don't want to leave you. I wanted this life with you never to end, even before it began."

"you can't leave, you mustn't. Fight it, Rukia, you can't go!"

"don't say anything, just listen. I have very little time. You gave me what I didn't know existed. I never imagined that love could bring so many simple things. I want you always to remember how much I love you. I don't know what shore I'm going to, but if an afterlife exists, I'll be loving you there with all the strength and all the joy you've filled my life with."

As she was speaking, she became more and more transparent. Her skin became clear as water. Even as he held her, he felt his arms begin to close on a void that was gradually gaining. It seemed to him that she was becoming evanescent.

"Live when I'm gone, Ichigo, live every second."

"don't leave, I'm begging you. Fight back."

"I can't, its stronger than I am. I'm not in pain, you know, I just have the impression that you're getting farther and farther away. Your words are muffled, I can't see you properly anymore. I'm so scared, Ichigo. I'm so scared without you. Hold me tighter."

"I'm holding you, can't you feel me?"

"not really, Ichigo my angel."

They began to weep together, softly, quietly. Now more than ever, they realized the meaning of one second of life, the value of a single moment, the importance of a single word. They embraced. During a kiss they never finished, she vanished altogether.

Ichigo's arms had closed in on themselves. He curled up in pain. His weeping intensified to loud sobs and cries of anguish.

His whole body trembled; his head rocked uncontrollably from side to side. His fists were clenched so tight that his nails drew blood from his palms.

The "No!" that he continued to howl like a wounded animal resonated in the room, making the windowpanes shake. He tried to get up but swayed and fell to the ground, his arms still wrapped around his torso. He dragged himself to the window seat, where she had so loved to sit, and sat there, numb and devastated. He sat there all day and barely noticed when the sun set over the park.

~ll~

Ichigo plunged into a world of absence that echoed eerily inside his head. The vacancy penetrated into his veins and infiltrated his heart. His grief filled him with rage, doubt, jealousy, not directed against other people, but because of the lost moments, the time with Rukia that had been stolen from him. He keenly felt the lack of the other, of the love he mourned with every fibre of his being, of the body that his flesh still hungered for. His nose sought out a familiar scent. His hand searched for the belly to caress. Through his tears his eyes could no longer see anything but memories. He missed skin seeking skin, he missed the other hand, the one that slowly closed around each finger curling to its own rhythm; he missed the foot that dangled when she was sitting on the window seat.

For long days and equally long nights he remained like this. He drifted from his architect's desk, where he would write letters to Rukia, back to his bed, where he would gaze at the ceiling blankly. His telephone had been off the hook and lying on its side for a long time, but Ichigo ignored it. He didn't care, he no longer expected any calls.

Nothing was important anymore.

* * *

wow i cant believe its almost finished, just one more chapter to go, this was so sad, when i read this i teared up, i hope you liked it. soo once again please r&r


	17. Chapter 17

standard disclaimers apply

wow i cant believe it, we've come to the end of the journey, this is it, the final chapter and i just wanna take a moment and thank Mark Levy for writing such an incredible story, this story was destined for ichigo and rukia fanfiction and i'm soooo glad i could bring this to light.

to Glon Morski, DetroitBleachWings and Black Sun Upon an Icy Sky, thank you guys so much for reviewing and sticking with my story, if it werent for you guys, i probably would have been stuck with the lazy bug forever and would never have completed this story

also huge thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story, you guys made it worthwhile.

sooo with all this said and done

KEEP ON BLEACHING!!! XD!

* * *

Chapter 17

At the end of one stifling day he emerged for air. It was drizzling. Donning a raincoat, he had just enough strength to cross the street and stand on the opposite sidewalk.

The little street - so narrow it suggested a long corridor - was all in black and white. There was only one ray of light from his own living room window. It stopped raining, but he was still wet. Behind the windowpanes he still sensed Rukia's presence, her graceful movements.

In the shadows of the pavement he thought he could see her supple form disappear around the corner. He thrust his hands into his raincoat pockets, hunched his shoulders, and began to walk.

Along the gray and white walls he followed in Rukia's footsteps, slowly enough not to risk overtaking her. At the mouth of an alleyway, he hesitated a moment, then ducked in, but realized no one was there. Growing numb with cold, he sat down on the curb and relived every moment of a life that had ended too soon, too abruptly.

As a sky that was turning pale announced the dawn of a day without color, Ichigo hauled himself to his feet, took one last look, and turned away with the guilty sense of having failed. He headed home.

~ll~

On the Monday after Rukia had left, Ichigo was lying on the living room rug, in the place she had so often lay during their talks, when someone hammered at the door. He did not get up.

"Ichigo, are you there? I know you're inside! Open the door for God's sake! Open it!" Uryu yelled. "open up or I'll break it down."

The door shuddered under the impact of Uryu's shoulder.

"Shit! That hurt like hell! I think I've broken my collarbone. Open the goddamn door!"

Ichigo got up and went to the door, flipped the lock, and returned to collapse on the couch. When Uryu came in, he was amazed at the devastation. Dozens of scraps of paper were strewn across the floor, all covered with handwritten notes scribbled by his friend. Half-empty food cans littered the kitchen counters. The sink was overflowing with dirty dishes.

"So, I guess there's been a war here, and you lost?"

Ichigo did not answer.

"Boy, do you look like shit. You were supposed to come in today, and when you didn't show, I got worried. Looks like I was right, huh?"

Again, Ichigo did not answer.

"Okay, they tortured you, they severed your vocal chords. Yoo-hoo, say something, are you deaf? Its me, your partner! Are you catatonic or did you tie on such a big one that you're still drunk?"

Uryu saw that Ichigo's eyes had glassed over and his usual scowl was nowhere in sight. He sat down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ichigo, what's going on?"

"She's dead, she died. She began to disappear, just like that. They killed her. I cant get over it, Uryu. I cant."

"I can see that." Uryu gently pat Ichigo on the back. "let it out buddy, let it all out. They say it'll help with the pain."

"but that's all I've been doing!"

"well, keep right on going. Look's as if there's more where that came from."

Uryu noticed the phone lying with the receiver off the cradle. He got up and replaced it.

"I've called you two hundred times, but it didn't occur to you to put the phone back on the hook!"

"Screw the phone, Uryu!"

"You have to snap out of this pal. You know, this whole business with the ghost was too much. It went too far, and now it looks as if its going too far even for you. It was a dream, Ichigo. You had a crazy ride. Now you have to come back to reality, get your feet back on the ground. You fell in love with a woman in a coma, then you invented a story about her being with you, you stole her body - it was all pure hallucination. And now you're in mourning for a ghost. Do you realize that there's a shrink in this city who's a billionaire and doesn't yet know it! You need help, my friend. You have no choice: I'm not leaving you like this. This whole thing was only a dream that turned into a nightmare."

Uryu was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. He picked it up, then handed it to Ichigo.

"its some cop. He's pissed as hell! Says its urgent."

"I have nothing to say to anyone."

Uryu put his hand over the mouthpiece. "speak to him or I'll shove the phone down your throat."

He pressed the phone to Ichigo's ear. Ichigo listened, then jumped to his feet. He thanked Urahara for calling, then began searching frantically for his keys.

"mind telling me what's going on?" Uryu asked.

"no time, got to find my keys."

"are they coming to arrest you?"

"No! Quit talking shit and help me find my keys!"

"you must be feeling better if you're starting to mouth off at me."

Ichigo found his keys, apologized to Uryu, told him he had no time to explain but that he would call him that night.

Uryu raised an eyebrow. "I don't know where you're heading, but if you're going to be seen in public, I suggest you change clothes and splash some water on your face."

Ichigo glanced at his reflection in the living room mirror and dashed into the bathroom. In a few minutes he was washed, shaved, and changed. he raced down the stairs to the garage without even saying goodbye.

After crossing the city as fast as he could, Ichigo parked his car at Karakura General Hospital. Not bothering to lock the car doors, he raced into the reception area, then to the fifth floor.

Byakuya Kuchiki was sitting on a chair just outside Rukia's room. As soon as he saw him, he rose to meet him and held his hand out to Ichigo. Both men shook hands in silent acknowledgement of one another.

"I don't know you, we only met that one time at the park. But the dog recognized you. I don't understand why, I don't understand everything, but I do know that, for whatever reason and however it came about, what you did prevented me from letting her die and I owe you so much that I'll never know how to thank you."

Then he filled in the details Urahara had omitted on the phone. Rukia had emerged from her coma last Friday. Suddenly, she began to move her fingers and hands. Since last night she had been keeping her eyes open for hours on end, scrutinizing everything going on around her. But she was still unable to speak - all those weeks with a feeding tube had severely compromised her vocal cords, and it would take time for them to heal. And this morning she had responded to a question with the batting of an eyelid. She was weak and the mere raising of her arm seemed to require tremendous effort. This the doctors attributed to muscle atrophy, due to prolonged immobility. That too, with time and therapy, could be dealt with. And finally her brain scan and MRI were promising.

Ichigo smiled and clapped Byakuya on the back.

Ichigo went into the room without hearing the rest of the report. The cardiac monitor was emitting a regular and reassuring beep. Rukia was sleeping with her eyes closed. Her skin was still pale, but her beauty was unchanged. He was overcome by emotion when he saw her. He sat down beside the bed and, taking her hand, kissed the curve of her palm. Then he settled into a chair and remained there all night, for hours, watching her.

The next morning, she opened her eyes, looked at him intently, and smiled.

"everything's fine, I'm here," he said softly. "don't tire yourself, you'll be talking soon."

She frowned, hesitated, gave him another smile, then fell back to sleep.

**Epilogue  
**

Ichigo had returned to the hospital everyday. He spoke to Rukia constantly, telling her what was happening in the outside world. She could not speak, but she always stared him at him while he spoke to her. Only her eyes had changed - their color had become less turbulent, less indistinct, less like a newborn's.

Ichigo and Byakuya took turns: one or the other was with Rukia at all times. One day, as Ichigo was arriving, Byakuya came out of Rukia's room into the hall to give him the news. That morning, Rukia had recovered the power of speech. She had spoken a few words in a hoarse, rasping voice.

Ichigo went in and sat down beside her. She was sleeping. He ran his hand over her hair and softly stroked her forehead, whispering, "how I've missed the sound of your voice."

She opened her eyes and placed her hand on his. She looked at him with wondering eyes as she asked, "who are you? Why are you here everyday?"

Ichigo instantly understood. His heart skipped a beat. Then he smiled with great tenderness and love and replied:

"_what I have to tell you is not easy to understand, impossible to accept. But if you will listen to our story - if you are willing to trust me - then maybe in the end you'll believe me. And it's very important that you, in particular, should believe me. For without knowing it, you are the only person in the world I can share our secret with."  
_

The end.

* * *

im happy to say that this story is officially finished (this house is clean, lolz) and im sorry if it still left you unsatisfied but its pretty much a happy ever after ending. so with that said, i really hope you enjoyed it, and please, read and review peeps

peace out and remember

keep on bleaching


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